Two Birds
by Alarose
Summary: One team is strictly on a mission. The other team wants to find out what they're hiding. With common enemies, working together becomes their only option. "We're not a promise of what's to come, and you're not a chance for us to change our pasts." Story by adorable pragmatism
1. Chapter 1

**.**

 **THIS IS NOT MY STORY**

This story was written by adorable pragmatism. I am not associated with adorable pragmatism in any way, but when his/her account was deleted, I felt that the loss of this story was truly a shame because, in my humble opinion, it is the best Young Justice/Teen Titans crossover ever written. There are 24 chapters. This story is not complete, and will not be complete. If you notice any formatting issues, leave a message on your way out since I'm just copy/pasting from my copy of the story. adorable pragmatism, if you're out there and you want this story removed, just shoot me a message.

 **Chapter One**

 _—The Team: Robin—_

 _—Friday: Outside Gotham City—_

They all dealt with disappointment differently. Conner closed himself off, Artemis lashed out, Kaldur found some way to blame himself, M'gann got big-eyed and sad, and Robin? Robin usually ignored it and found something else to be 'appointed' with. Even he had his limits, though. Tonight they were being stretched.

Overall, they were a pretty quiet bunch when disappointed. Except for Wally.

"Three times! Three! When are we going to get some action for once?" He tugged at his red hair in frustration.

Wally was an agonizer.

The Team had been called to the hazardous materials disposal facility on a report of suspicious activity. Restless and hoping for a villain or some sort of super-creature to fight, they were far from appointed when all they found was the aftermath of a battle. Again.

Rubble littered the asphalt. The thick concrete wall that surrounded the place had a large chunk torn out of it. Most of the destruction was focused around this wall; Robin deduced that this was where the fight took place. Acrid red slime pooled on the ground and clung to the nearby buildings.

All security cameras were out, fallen and smashed or limply hanging by a few wires from their perches. The security guards had been knocked unconscious and intentionally moved behind a building, sheltered from the fight. Robin could smell the traces of knock-out gas in the air.

Someone had been here before them, and that someone hadn't stuck around.

Miss Martian floated higher in the air. Her eyes glowed white as she scanned telepathically for any people hidden. "I don't think there's anyone here." Despite her words she looked unsure, biting her bottom lip as she returned to the ground. With a mental command she morphed her black jumpsuit into a colourful dress of red, white, and blue. Similarly, Kid Flash pressed the lightning-bolt logo on his chest to change his uniform from night-time stealth to his usual bright yellow.

"Who keeps doing this?" Artemis was lowering her bow. Weapons were being put away all around as it became clear they weren't going to need them.

"That is what we need to find out," responded Aqualad, sheathing his water bearers. The tattoos snaking his arms faded from electric blue to black against his dark skin. He addressed Kid Flash. "Do you see the same type of energy residue as before?"

Ruby-tinted goggles covering his eyes, Kid Flash indicated a seemingly normal patch of ground. "There it is," he confirmed. "Still don't know what it is... it's not dangerous though. Looks kind of like the energy from zeta beams." He'd spent over an hour (a long time for a speedster) analyzing the energy samples from previous occasions and hadn't been able to give them any conclusions—only grumpy retorts—when they asked.

Aqualad turned to Robin. "Do you believe it is the same person?"

"Try 'people'." Robin looked up at the much taller leader. "And, yes. The smashed cameras, the patch of energy, any possible spectators knocked out and moved away from the scene—definitely their MO. They're fast, strong, and they don't want to be seen."

"What makes you so sure it's a group?" asked Artemis.

"Yeah," mumbled Superboy. "Couldn't it just be one really powerful guy, or something?"

"Or girl," Artemis snapped, one hand on her hip. Pure attitude wrapped in green spandex. "It doesn't have to be a guy, it could be a girl. Or a woman."

"I said, 'or something'." He jabbed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and kicked a piece of rubble irritably.

Robin cut in before things could get ugly. He could see Kid Flash just itching to join in and change the tense comments into a full-blown argument. "I'm sure it's a team. A very organized team. Trust me."

And they did. They always did. He was the youngest, but the most experienced. He'd been around the block a few times, to say the least. With all the time he spent with the world's greatest detective, those powers of deduction had rubbed off on him. Right now, those powers were being put to the test.

A pattern was emerging. This marked the third time they'd been sent on a mission only to find a freshly abandoned battleground. The events didn't have much in common on the surface, except that whatever was supposed to happen never seemed to happen. A shipment of electronics, some crates destroyed from fighting but most untouched. A bank broken into but not robbed. And now, a perimeter wall down but inner buildings unbreached.

The obvious question was the one he kept hearing his teammates ask: "Who?" Their mystery people weren't giving that answer up easily. What Robin found more pressing was the 'why'. He didn't understand the motives, and that disturbed him. When the motives weren't clear, that always meant something larger was at work.

Aqualad split the team up. "Miss Martian, Kid Flash, and I will revive the guards and see if they can remember anything. Robin, Artemis, Superboy; search for clues that may shed light on what happened here."

Kid Flash rushed ahead—a blur of yellow—causing a gust of wind that almost lifted Miss Martian's skirt in a way that could only be completely intentional. Especially since he doubled back to 'apologize', making it happen again.

"'See if they can remember anything', right," said Robin under his breath as he watched the group of three round a corner. He knew Aqualad's questioning was a dead end. The guards they'd encountered the past two missions hadn't been able to tell them much. They hadn't even seen who hit them with the knock-out gas. These mystery people knew what they were doing.

Then again, it wasn't like Robin's own investigation held much promise. Whoever these people were, they didn't like to leave a trail. A careful survey of the area revealed nothing new. He paused to watch his investigation partners.

Artemis had been examining the hole in the wall when some red slime from above dripped onto her head. She was now angrily muttering and trying to wipe the sticky stuff from her long ponytail.

Superboy was standing still, arms crossed over the "S" insignia on his black t-shirt. His fierce, ice-blue eyes surveyed his surroundings as though trying to scare any evidence out of hiding.

Artemis walked over to where Robin was half-heartedly checking the shattered remains of a video camera for something salvageable. She was still fussing with her hair. "What is this red gunk?" she grumbled. "It's not toxic or something, is it?"

He straightened up and tossed down a cracked lens. "No, not really. It might give you a rash if it's on your skin too long, so I'd be careful."

"You've seen it before?"

"Yep. It's from Plasmus." Worried lines appeared on his forehead as he thought about the slime creature. "Who is currently supposed to be in a top-security prison on the west coast."

She jumped onto his train of thought. "Kind of like at the bank." She was referring to the second time they'd been beaten to the punch (most literally). "When all the evidence was pointing to that LeBlanc guy, but he was in jail in Europe."

"And more patterns emerge," mused Robin. He looked over at Superboy, who had snapped out of his staring-into-thin-air trance and was now shifting through some slime-drenched rubble by the wall.

"What about the first time?" Artemis asked.

The first in this string of disappointing non-missions had taken them to a docked ship full of electronic devices for transport, where they had found some busted crates and a strange haze of electrical interference along with the typical smashed surveillance cameras, knocked-out guards, and patch of zeta-like energy.

"I don't know," Robin said truthfully. "That one could've been a few different people."

Superboy joined them. "Found something." He held a golden arrow clutched in his large fist. Robin was taken aback. How could he have missed that? Then he remembered: he didn't have superhuman vision like the boy of steel. Right.

The arrow exchanged hands. Artemis held it up, examining it with an expert eye. "Energy arrow." She indicated the end, which was cylindrical rather than sharp. "Must be a dud, or it would have gone off when it was shot."

"Or it wasn't shot," Robin offered. "It could have been dropped. We know for sure they don't know it got left behind. They didn't want to leave us any clues."

"Well, I could always test it out." Artemis pretended to reach for her bow. "Not. The others would kill me for blowing it up."

Robin snickered. "Anything else?"

"Yeah..." she trailed off. Her dark eyes were troubled within her mask. "We make our own arrows, you know. Me, my uncle, and... whatever. So they're all slightly different, and if you know enough about arrows you can usually tell something about the archer. I know this is crazy, but this one kind of reminds me of Red Arrow."

"But, it's not even red!" blurted Superboy.

"Yeah, I agree with you, Artemis," Robin said, drawing a raised eyebrow from the girl. "That is crazy."

"I didn't say it was his. It just reminds me of one of his," she said hotly. "I know it can't belong to Red Arrow." She pointed the arrow at them so they could see the 'S' inscribed on the face of the cylinder. "You think he'd be caught dead using one of these?"

With a sharp intake of breath, Robin took the arrow from her for a moment and looked at it more closely. "You think we've got a copycat?" He handed it back. "Or has Green Arrow taken another new protégé since the last time I checked?"

She scoffed. "Not that I know of. My money's on the first one."

Superboy spoke in a low voice that sent chills through both his teammates and had them instinctively pulling out their weapons from the first word. "We're not alone."

Robin scanned the area, birdarang in hand. He breathed silently through his nose, listening for any out of place noise, however small. All he could hear was the distant murmuring of Aqualad and the others from the other side of the building.

And then—there, in the shadows on the right. Was that movement? He took a step.

"There," said Superboy firmly. He pointed to the left. Perched on the top of an intact portion of the concrete fence was a small squirrel.

Artemis let out a held breath, lowering her bow. "Just a rodent." She tossed back her blond hair, thoughtful for a moment, and then took aim again. "Unless you big heroes think it's a threat?" She gave a wry smile.

Whatever the shadows had been hiding was gone. It vanished in the split second that Robin was distracted. He didn't kid himself into thinking it was just his imagination. Trusting his instincts was often the difference between life and death.

On top of the fence, the squirrel was leaning forward intently. It was watching Robin. He was struck by the feeling that the creature seemed recognize him. But that wasn't the strangest thing about it, he realized.

"Hey!" Kid Flash skidded to a stop in front of them, talking fast. "We woke up all the guards. They don't know anything except that Plasmus was here, which is pretty obvious if you look around—but isn't he supposed to be in jail? Wait, is that squirrel... green?" he asked, following their gazes over his shoulder.

It was. Hard to notice at first, because of the lack of light, but upon closer look it was a deep, even green. Aqualad joined them, following Kid Flash, and even he—who had grown up in Atlantis and didn't know much about land animals—narrowed his eyes at its strange colouring.

"That's just not natural," Kid Flash continued. "Think it got into some toxic ooze and now it's some sort of mutant? It's freaking green! I— I mean," he stammered, seeing that the green-skinned M'gann had just floated into earshot and was frowning, "what a great colour! Don't see that everyday. I wish all squirrels were green." He grinned at her beseechingly.

Miss Martian kept frowning. Robin could see he wasn't the only one who noticed the odd intelligence in the small creature. "M'gann," he projected his thoughts at her, hoping she would pick them up with her telepathy, "scan it."

His suspicions seemed to be sensed by the squirrel, because it vanished behind the fence before Miss Martian's eyes even began to glow white. Hands to her temples, she concentrated, searching for its mind with hers. After a few seconds her eyes faded back to their normal amber and she shook her head. "It's gone."

Their chances of finding the animal were miniscule. It was too dark, and just beyond the wall lay a far-reaching area of dense trees. And really, chasing after a squirrel? Goodbye dignity.

Kid Flash stood by his claim that it was harmless—just an ordinary squirrel that got into some radioactive sludge. He was more interested in the discovered arrow, once Artemis and Robin showed it and explained their theories, claiming it as his souvenir.

Artemis eyed him with distaste. "That's evidence! And don't you already have an arrow?"

"I did. But you stole it from me, if you recall." He tried to clean the slime off the arrow by wiping it on the arm of his canary-yellow costume.

"It was mine to begin with. And if you recall, I used it to save your life. Something I am seriously beginning to regret."

Robin walked over to the spot where he'd seen the shift in the shadows. He took off a glove and placed his palm on the ground. It felt a few degrees cooler than it should. Behind him, he heard Miss Martian ask Aqualad what they should do next.

"We go back and tell of our findings," said their leader in his calm, deep voice. "And after that we contact Red Arrow."

Robin followed his team back to the bio-ship, giving the shadows one last backward glance.

oOo

Once under cover of the trees, the squirrel changed. Mid-stride, it became a sprinting greyhound. The sleek green dog ducked branches and leapt the hazards of the forest floor. It kept running long after it felt the invading tug leave its mind, until it was certain it was out of range. It eventually slowed to a trot and made its way down an incline, panting, until it stopped in a clearing.

The clearing was a small valley between two hills. A few stars were visible through a gap in the leafy canopy overhead. The moon could be seen too—thin and sharp like a hook. It threw very little light to the world below.

Trickling through the low area was a stream of water, narrow enough for a human to cross in one short step. The dog sniffed at it curiously.

"We're beside a building full of toxic waste. I wouldn't drink that."

The dog was caught off guard. Startled, it jumped, changing in mid-air and landing back on the ground as a slight boy with a green complexion and pointed ears. He wore a uniform of purple and black.

"Jeez, Raven," he said weakly, holding a hand to his heart. "Did you have to sneak up on me like that?"

A midnight blue cloak melted out of the darkness. It glided above the leaves and earth towards the boy. The hood was pulled back to reveal the face of a young woman. She seemed to glow a dull white in the darkness. Her hair was short and the same cool violet as her large eyes. A blood-red gem adorned her forehead.

"That girl was a telepath." Her voice sounded tired. "Did you get away in time?"

"Yeah, just barely. We, um, don't need to tell Robin that they saw me, right?" When she didn't respond he seemed to take it as agreement. "Did you see that one guy? The really big one? They called him Superboy. They have a Superboy!"

"I know. I was there."

"It's so weird that their Aqualad isn't our Aqualad... Do you think something happened to him?" he asked, ears drooping.

"Beast Boy, our Aqualad might not even exist here."

"Yeah, but Robin does, and so does Kid Flash. You saw them. And we know Speedy does... well, kind of. It sucks that we aren't allowed to talk to them—there's so many things we could tell them."

She put a hand to her temple and closed her eyes in frustration. "For the last time, they're not the same people. They might look like them, act like them, even think like them, but they're not them. They might have similar pasts, but that doesn't mean they have the same futures."

"You don't know that. I mean, what if they do? What if we could warn Kid Flash—"

"Do you really want to tell him? Do you think it'll help him if he knows?" she asked darkly, putting her hood back on. "We don't get involved—we've been over this with Robin. We should get back to the others."

"Wait," Beast Boy moved closer to her. "Raven, I know it bugs you, too. I mean, what if you exist here, but you're younger like Robin, and none of that... 'gem' stuff happened yet?" He winced, as if expecting her wrath in exchange for bringing up the topic.

She just sighed. "That's not the case. I'm not from our dimension to begin with... Pretty sure there's only one of me that you need to worry about. Why don't you just tell me what you're actually getting at, so we can go meet up with the team?"

He admitted it, with a sense of finally dropping something that had been weighing on him for a long time. "That blonde girl, at first I thought it was... her."

"It isn't. She's an archer, not—"

"I know! But what if she's around here somewhere, alone, and she can't control her powers? What if she needs our help?"

Raven placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Beast Boy, you need to stop asking 'what if'. This isn't a chance for us to change everything we regret. This world can solve its own problems; we're just here to clean up the mess we made."

They were silent for a few moments, and then:

"Raven?"

"Yes?"

"How mad is Robin gonna be at Speedy?" he asked gleefully.

"Very."


	2. Chapter 2

**.**

 **Chapter Two**

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Ten Minutes Earlier: Outside Gotham City—_

"Watch out!"

Robin dodged the jet of slime with a backwards handspring. He wasn't quite quick enough, and some of it splattered his chest, staining the armoured fabric a darker red. That was going to be a pain to clean. He vented by throwing a handful of explosive disks at the sludge monster, blowing off its arm.

Plasmus reformed the lost limb, and the fight dragged on.

For not the first time, Robin found himself wishing he had his original team. A few starbolts or sonic blasts would take care of this, no problem.

He was still getting used to it. Expecting to find Starfire fighting at his side, he kept being surprised when it was Jinx instead. But there she was, hurling hexes as vividly pink as her hair and eyes, and wearing a costume of purple and gold instead of the attire she'd worn as a member of the HIVE. She was a full-fledged Titan now.

Instead of Cyborg providing cover fire, there was Speedy. His arms were a blur as arrow after arrow left his bow, doing little damage to Plasmus. Against a more solid opponent Speedy's arrows packed a punch, but Cyborg still had him beat for pure power.

Except for Beast Boy and Raven, Robin didn't have his old team. He was accepting that fact. This was his team now, and they were beginning to work in sync. Each fight left him less surprised to see Jinx and Speedy and more surprised at how well they all meshed.

Like now: Plasmus was poised to step on Beast Boy, who was dazed on the ground from a hit. But Jinx hurled razors of pink light at the monster as a distraction, while Raven lifted Beast Boy out of the way with her powers. Twisting around on one leg left Plasmus precariously balanced. Robin and Speedy took advantage of this by targeting the leg with an explosive projectile each.

A wave of slime fell to the ground where Beast Boy had been just a few seconds earlier. All the result of instinctive, improvised teamwork. They hadn't even spoken—there hadn't been time, it all happened in the span of a couple seconds—somehow they'd all just known.

Robin almost wanted to reciprocate Beast Boy's high-five—almost. Maybe later... They still had work to do. "Let's end this!" he called, as the puddle began to reform. "Jinx, Speedy—on my lead!"

Arrows hit the monster from the front. Throwing discs from the right. Hexes from the left.

There was an explosion of sludge.

When it was over they looked at each other, and at the unconscious man that lay in the spot the monster had been. Having shielded himself with his cape, Robin was relatively clean. Raven had conjured up a barrier to protect herself, and Beast Boy avoided most of the slime by going hummingbird-small.

Not so lucky were the two other members of the team. Speedy was all red—red hair, red outfit, red sludge. His face was probably red with rage as well, but it couldn't be seen under all the slime. Jinx stood still as a statue, dripping. She looked like she was trying hard not to scream.

Robin turned to Beast Boy, who had taken the form of a forlorn tabby and was washing his face with a paw. "Go keep a lookout." The tabby became a bat that took wing.

"Cyborg's ready for the transfer," said Raven, glancing up from her communicator.

"Right." From a compartment on his utility belt, Robin pulled out a button-sized transmitter and stuck it on Plasmus's arm. "Tell him we're ready, too."

A minute passed, and then another. None of the Titans spoke as they waited, as though they were worried the slightest noise might wake Plasmus, making him transform back into that sludge creature. For the transfer to work, the target had to be completely still. In practice this usually translated as unconscious.

The flash of light that came with the transfer made Robin squint. It was a scalding crimson that couldn't be blocked out, not even with closed eyelids, not even with a mask. He blinked a few times afterwards to adjust his vision.

Plasmus was gone. Only six to go.

Robin ran through his mental checklist. Cameras had been taken out by Speedy from a distance before they even entered the scene. One arrow for each.

While the guards had tried to hold back Plasmus, Robin himself had snuck up behind them and thrown the knock-out gas pellets. Raven had quickly moved them out of the way, sheltering them in the area on the other side of the building.

Now they needed to make sure that nothing was left behind. After performing a quick count on his birdarangs and other devices, he was confident that there were none lying around.

Speedy was knelt over his quiver, shifting the arrows around. "I might be missing one." He re-counted with a scowl. "I got knocked down near the beginning, it could have—"

"Uh, dude, we don't have time for this!" Beast Boy practically shrieked, changing from bat to human. "Pretty sure there's a jet headed this way—it's cloaked, but I heard it."

"I don't see any arrows around here," said Robin hastily. "We need to go. But—Beast Boy, Raven—can you stick around and see who's on our tail?" They nodded. "We're going to move the plane somewhere safer; I'll send you our new coordinates. Make sure they don't see you." With those words and a swish of black-and-gold cape, he disappeared behind the wall and into the trees.

oOo

The plane had only been half-finished before this mission, a forgotten side project. Impressively, Cyborg had found the time to throw it together between perfecting the badly damaged inter-dimensional portal, sending forth information-gathering robot drones, and hacking satellites.

It was sleek and silver, not meant for fighting like the T-Ship, but it had different strengths. Like near-flawless cloaking capabilities, and its inability to be picked up on radar or by satellite. It was as fast as they needed. The only real problem was the lack of space. More than a plane, it was also their living quarters, command center, and hideout. Their home on wings.

Sleeping took place in two bedrooms the size of closets that held bunk-beds, one set for Speedy and Robin and one for the girls. Luckily Beast Boy didn't mind spending the night curled up as a cat or dog on a cushion on the floor. There were also two tiny bathrooms, and a kitchen area cramped enough to cause shouting matches whenever one person wanted the fridge and another the microwave.

Once, Speedy had likened it to 'a flying RV', a comparison they all agreed fit perfectly—and they rarely all agreed on one thing.

After a particularly nasty argument among his team, Robin had asked Cyborg why they couldn't travel back and forth between the two dimensions: Take down a villain and be back home at the Tower by the end of the day—repeat as needed. Just remembering the response made his ears ring.

"Are you crazy? It's enough sending you through that thing once. Do you realize how unstable the portal is? Even before it got all messed up and went inter-dimensional it was a disaster waiting to happen. That little psycho had no idea what he was dealing with when he built it. Y'all should just be happy I was able to fix it. Heck, you should be freakin' grateful that I managed to get you there without your minds ending up scrambled eggs!"

He didn't again after that.

It wasn't that Robin couldn't handle living on the road—it wasn't exactly new to him—it was the rest of the team that had trouble coping. Between Raven's antisocial nature, Speedy's short fuse, and Jinx's selfish tendencies, the atmosphere could get a little tense. And there was no Starfire to swoop in and spread her infectious cheer. Beast Boy tried to lighten things up, but he had a knack for making things worse.

After cleaning up the best he could (with the kitchen sink, because his vain, opportunist teammates claimed the bathrooms while he was moving the plane like a good leader), Robin returned to the front control room. It was the roomiest part of the plane, with a chair for each team member. He settled in the pilot's seat and pressed a button on the console. A computer screen slid down from the ceiling, and a keyboard emerged in front of him.

He pressed a key, and Cyborg's face appeared on the screen. The interior of Titans Tower was visible in the background, triggering a wave of homesickness.

"Is Plasmus—"

"Safe in jail?" Cyborg rolled his one human eye. "What, you think he broke out again? It's been five minutes."

A grudging smile on Robin's part. "We're thinking of going after Doctor Light tomorrow, then Mammoth and Gizmo." They had taken care of the other members of the Hive Five already, but those two kept managing to elude them.

"Good. I can't wait to have a few words with Gizmo." Cyborg punctuated this remark by punching a fist to his palm with an impressive clang.

Robin felt the same way. It was Gizmo's fault they were in this mess to begin with. In an attempt to reunite the Brotherhood of Evil, the psychopathic technology genius had built a portal—a transporter with the ability to pull the villains from their respective prisons without any sort of entry portal needed.

The Teen Titans had shown up to stop him from activating it, but they were too late. Half the Brotherhood had been waiting for them. In the fight that ensued, the portal began malfunctioning, and started sucking people back in.

The memory still chilled Robin. He remembered how he'd been clutching at two things for dear life, one being the handle of his grappling gun, the only thing that kept him from being pulled sideways into the crimson inferno of energy. His other hand had been clamped around Beast Boy's wrist, who had been so close to being claimed by the portal, just slipping from Robin's grasp when Cyborg finally managed to shut the machine down.

In those terrifying moments when no one knew the nature of the malfunction, Robin had truly believed it meant death. They still hadn't discovered what caused the portal to act that way, but according to Cyborg it was very unsafe, untested technology.

It took days of work before Cyborg made it safe to start up again. He then sent robot drones to scout things out and check where the criminals wound up. The Titans had been horrified to find out it was a world very similar to their own, now infested with their worst villains. A week later, Robin and his team crossed over and began their mission, after they'd collected enough information, hastily finished preparations such as the jet, and triple-checked that the portal was as safe as it possibly could be—which still wasn't very.

Robin would have preferred traveling dimensions by Raven's powers, but moving that many of them was too difficult for even her. And with Herald off on one of those lonely, inter-dimensional explorations that he was notorious for, often disappearing for months at a time, the portal had been the Titans' only option.

Cyborg stayed behind with Titans East to keep an eye on their home dimension, and to provide technical support. Speedy had offered to come in his stead, and Robin was glad to have him. Most of the time.

"Starfire sent us a transmission," Cyborg was saying. "She asked about you."

"What did you tell her?"

"Nothing. I'm sending the message to you, and you're going to respond. You can't keep ignoring her, Robin." That sounded a lot like an order. "She wants to hear from you."

"I don't want her to worry. She's got enough to deal with." There was a pause. Both of them were too tired to dredge up this argument again. "What else did she say?"

"Progress is slow, but she hopes she'll be coming home soon."

She'd been saying that for months. "Good to know."

"You're being a real jerk to her. You know that, right?"

What was Robin supposed to do? Beg her to come back? Her people needed her—their capital city had been completely devastated by a meteor strike. He could never ask her to turn her back on that. Seeing her face in the transmission would just make him miss her more painfully, and he had his own mission to focus on.

Robin kept trying to push her from his mind, without success.

He changed the subject. "I sent Raven and Beast Boy to see who keeps tailing us—the last couple times have been too close." Ever since their encounter with Overload, they'd had to rush away to avoid being caught.

Cyborg nodded, then turned to look at something Robin couldn't see. "Alright. Listen, we've got some things to take care of around here. Call back later, okay? Cyborg out." The screen went blank.

With the press of another key, Robin pulled up a map of the world. "This world," he reminded himself. Glowing dots marked the positions of those who didn't belong, courtesy of this dimension's Justice League satellite. The Titans could use the satellite to track the inter-dimensional energy left on each person by the portal; unnoticed by the League as long as they didn't stretch their luck by zooming in too much.

There were five dots for the Titans, all clumped together in their current location on the east coast. The rest were scattered, but all on the same continent and nearby. Some were north of them, some a bit south. West coast was clear—they'd taken care of everyone there before following the rest across the country.

Two and a half weeks, thirteen criminals down.

The door slid open. It was Speedy, his red hair wet from washing out the slime. "Six left." He was eyeing the map on the screen. "Madame Rouge, Doctor Light, Johnny Rancid, Killer Moth, and who were the last ones again?"

"Mammoth and Gizmo." The list was their mantra, they relished reciting it whenever it got shorter. Ten left, nine left, eight left, seven left...

"Right, Jinx's old teammates. Of course."

Robin could tell where Speedy was going with this, and chose not to indulge him. As he busied himself with the computer, he briefly wondered whether the opposite of indulging would be 'dulging'. Notindulging seemed such an unnecessary use of negatives.

Speedy kept talking. "I don't get it. She switches sides right before we take down all her Brotherhood buddies, travels around with Kid Flash for a few months, changes her clothes and hair, and suddenly she's a hero. And you can't tell me what happened to him wasn't suspicious... I mean what if she—"

"She didn't."

"I don't trust her."

"Well, I do. So trust me."

He couldn't possibly make Speedy understand why he trusted Jinx without question. It all went back to one night, not long after Starfire left for Tamaran. Jinx showed up on their doorstep, alone and covered in blood that wasn't hers. The expression on her face had been one Robin recognized. He'd seen that exact look in his own reflection, years ago. He had hoped to never see it again.

They'd been down one Titan, Jinx had nowhere else to go. She was accepted to the team. She could never replace Starfire, but she was powerful, smart, highly trained, and retained a little of that supervillain cunning, just enough to give her an edge. Robin considered her a valuable ally, and she was becoming a good friend.

She now joined them in the room, silence following her in like a breeze. She dropped into a chair, letting her legs loll over the side. "What're you guys talking about?" The question was unnecessary. Clearly, she suspected—it was impossible not to—but didn't call them on it.

"Nothing," Speedy lied too quickly, making Robin cringe.

Her smile was sharp. "I see."

Robin wouldn't deny that the change in the former villainess had been drastic. Mere weeks into their world journey, Kid Flash and Jinx had visited the Titans, Jinx sporting an entirely new look. The striped stockings and dark dress had vanished, replaced by purple spandex, her hair worn down and twisted in a ponytail that rested over her right shoulder. She'd looked, well, heroic. Still did. It was almost hard to believe she'd once been bad.

"It was time for a change. My old look was seriously out of date," Robin had overheard her telling Starfire during that visit. And, when asked about her hair, he'd heard her explain: "It kept getting completely ruined whenever he carried me anywhere. It's just easier to manage this way."

Those excuses hadn't hidden the truth from Robin. Jinx thought she needed to change in order to fit in. She was trying to prove that she belonged on the side of the heroes, that she belonged with Kid Flash. It couldn't be a coincidence that the gold parts of her costume were the speedster's signature shade. Even now, she was still trying so hard.

Speedy began a safe topic of conversation. "Doctor Light shouldn't be much trouble. I bet he doesn't even have a working super-suit yet, otherwise he'd have tried something stupid and been caught by now."

"And then we'd have to break him out of jail." Jinx frowned as she said it. So far they'd had to bust four villains out of prison in order to send them back where they belonged: prison, but prison in their home universe. "That's always the worst."

"Why? I thought jailbreaks came easy to you. You've had plenty of experience with the HIVE." So much for safe conversation.

Jinx snapped her fingers lazily. Pink static ran through Speedy's hair, causing it to stand on end as though he'd been electrocuted. He seemed to shoot her a nasty look as he slicked his hair back down—since his eyes were hidden behind a mask, the only visual cue was that his face went as scarlet as his outfit.

The situation was fortunately defused, before Robin was forced to intervene, by the return of Raven and Beast Boy. The two were a mess, and their faces became grim at the sight of their cleaner and more comfortable teammates.

Robin held his hands together before his face, fingers interlaced, as he listened to the information they brought. "A team," he echoed, once they'd finished.

The existence of an alternate, younger, version of himself wasn't new. Cyborg had found out as much when he sent a drone to hack this world's Justice League database, sticking to basic information and avoiding the higher-security files to not arouse suspicion. Basic info was all they needed. They knew about Speedy (or 'Red Arrow', as the file had said), Kid Flash, and that there was an Aqualad (but a different Aqualad than in their own world). The Superboy was new information, as were the archer girl and the alien girl.

It was the team of young superheroes that was alarming to Robin. That hadn't been hinted at in any of the intel Cyborg had gathered. Either this team was very new or top secret, or both. It was also more proof that this universe was different—he had never been on any such team at that age.

"So, a similar team is trying to catch us. We'll have to be more careful, and try to avoid leaving a trail of clues for them to follow." Here he threw Speedy an accusing glare.

"Well, sorry," the archer drawled.

"But hey, what if we let them catch us?" asked Beast Boy earnestly. "Maybe they could help us out. I mean, the baddies left are some of the strongest. We could use some back-up."

Jinx straightened up in her seat. "There's a thought."

Being harped at about Starfire, Jinx, and now the League did not leave Robin in an agreeable mood. Throw in the bruise that was beginning to throb on his knee from tonight's battle, and he felt downright snappy. "No." It took all his self-restraint not to yell.

"But, Robin—" Beast Boy began.

"We've been over this before. We don't get involved with the locals. We want to finish the mission and leave without them ever knowing we were here, if possible." He wasn't going to waste his breath by listing the reasons why, yet again. It had been a tough decision—he knew how much work he was making for them—but he had to stick to it. The consequences of getting involved could too easily compromise the mission.

"Is that right?" Raven was looking at the map behind Robin's head. "I thought we only had six left after Plasmus."

"We do." Robin spun his chair around. There on the west coast, which had been clear just minutes ago, were two new signals. He performed a count. Total: thirteen. He zoomed in on the newcomers. They were by Jump City, near the site where Titans Tower was in their world. Where the Titans themselves had emerged from the portal.

No. It was impossible. They were getting so close to the end; so close to finally going back home and leaving this mission behind them, and now...

"Cyborg, respond." He waited, tried again. "Cyborg." Nothing.

The whole team watched the screen. The two dots were moving, but not together. The distance between them was growing steadily.

"Who are they?" asked Speedy.

"We'll find out when Cyborg answers." Robin was careful not to use 'if', but the unsaid word buzzed around the room anyway. That Cyborg wasn't responding could only mean a few things, none of them good.

"I hope he's okay," Beast Boy said quietly. They all did.

Four worried faces looked past Robin, watching the signals. The waiting would be unbearable if they stayed here like this.

"The night's young." Robin zoomed the map back out and fastened his seatbelt. "You guys up for one more?


	3. Chapter 3

**.**

 **Chapter Three**

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—New York City—_

A switch was clicked. Overhead light panels hummed to life, illuminating the large, open room. Rows of stainless steel work tables were scattered with blueprints, small tools, paper coffee cups—bits of junk the scientists neglected to tidy up before leaving for the weekend.

Scurrying between the tables was a strangely dressed man. He wore a bodysuit of black and white, with a lightbulb logo and clunky technological additions on his arms and torso. His name was Doctor Light, and he was walking into a trap. No alarms went off as he made his way to the small but heavy safe on the other side of the room, no guards barged through the doors. The alarms had been disabled, same with the cameras. He didn't know this, and the ease of his break-in made him visibly nervous.

Above the man's head—along the inside of the walls—ran a catwalk. He scanned it, looking for movement between the metal bars. His eyes slid directly past where Robin was hidden.

Turning his attention back to the safe, Doctor Light pulled a device from his pocket and attached it to the electronic keypad. It gave off a buzzing sound of static that was magnified by bouncing off the cold walls of the empty room.

Robin flicked the master kill-switch on his communicator. He recognized the device on the safe as some sort of electronic over-loader: it would affect any sensitive, signal-based electronics in the room, and he didn't want his team's communicators to malfunction and give away their positions.

The man at the safe tugged at his goatee impatiently, watching the safe's keypad spit out protesting sparks. When the door swung open, revealing something glowing within, he breathed a sigh of relief. It must have seemed to him that he'd crossed the finish line—the guy had no idea what he was in for. He reached for his prize.

An arrow hit the heart of one of the light panels, sending shards of glass raining down. Then another, and another. Darkness blocked out more and more of the room below until it had completely disappeared from view. All that was visible was the white glow of the item in the crook's hand.

Robin smiled. That archer always had a knack for thinking the exact same thing as him. The Doctor preferred the light? They would make him fight in the dark. All the better for Robin anyway... years of fighting crime in the dark alleyways of Gotham had given him impeccable night vision.

He could have struck now—taken the villain by surprise—but what the team needed was a good, satisfying fight to keep their thoughts occupied by something other than worry for Cyborg and whatever must be happening back home. So he held back, listening to the crashes below as Doctor Light scrambled toward the exit which had already been sealed by Jinx and Raven.

Doctor Light must have realized he was going to have to fight his way out of this trap. He used the stolen power core to activate his suit. The light hung around him, unable to push back more than a couple feet of darkness. Holding up a glowing orb of energy, the villain spoke. "I don't know who you think you are, but you cannot hope to defeat me now that I have found the light!"

Now was the time. Robin hooked a rope on the railing and swung below. He lowered himself so he was hanging behind the Doctor in an upside-down crouch— like a bat. The man nearly had a heart attack when he turned. Before his victim could recover, Robin twisted and delivered a two-footed kick to the villain's chest. Doctor Light righted himself and brandished a handful of light, but Robin had already swung back up onto the dark catwalk where he couldn't be seen.

"Titans, go!" Robin called. Doctor Light sent a beam in the direction of Robin's voice, which he dodged easily.

Doctor Light squinted into the shadows. "You think you can hide from the light?"

In response, two figures descended upon him. Raven sent a table to bowl him over while Jinx pelted him with hexes.

Beast Boy appeared beside the two girls and laughed at the villain splayed on the floor. "Face it, dude, you're just a 'light'-weight?" He nudged Raven. "Get it?"

His laughter was cut short as the three were blasted back by something akin to a supernova, a flash that filled every corner of the room with blinding light for a split second. That was a new trick. Robin's night vision was scrambled, but he could still see his teammates struggling to pick themselves off the floor, blinking dazedly.

"What did you do? I can't see!" Beast Boy cried out. He tried to throw a punch, but ended up colliding with Jinx. The two fell in a heap, taking Raven down with them. None of them could see the charging beam of light Doctor Light was aiming in their direction.

One of the pros of wearing a mask: Robin wasn't suffering from the same temporary blindness as his friends. His night vision was already returning, and he wasn't the only one. Before Robin could spring into action to save his friends, Speedy—a fellow mask-wearer—had already let fly an energy arrow from the opposite balcony.

The arrow exploded against the arm of Doctor Light's super-suit. The villain's attack was diverted, the white-hot beam melting a hole in the linoleum instead of Beast Boy's skull.

While Doctor Light was reeling in frustration, Robin leapt down with his staff. He stabbed it against the floor and spun about, kicking Doctor Light squarely in the face with his heel. With the staff, Robin swept the villain's feet out from under him. Robin saw Doctor Light reach for the lightbulb-symbol on the suit's chest. That was one trick the Boy Wonder wouldn't fall for. He ducked, feeling the concentrated light—so hot it was like fire—pass over his head and go straight toward the catwalk. Toward the exact spot on the catwalk that Speedy was standing.

A barrier of dark energy materialized; the hot light sizzled and died against it. Raven and the others had recovered their sight, and were back in the battle. Robin flipped back to the shadowy outskirts of the room, waiting for another chance to strike. A shrill noise from the catwalk caught his attention. He frowned, knowing what it was: something had been caught by the over-loader Doctor Light used to gain access to the safe. He signaled Beast Boy, who had also heard the noise and was looking around curiously.

Raven had Doctor Light held aloft with her powers. Jinx and Speedy hurled hexes and arrows, chipping at the suit's already-failing systems. The battle was as good as over.

Robin and Beast Boy could be spared for a minute.

oOo

 _—Red Arrow—_

It was just his luck. Really, he doubted other heroes ever got themselves into situations like this.

Red Arrow dug the tiny, screaming electronic from his ear, cursing Kaldur under his breath. He'd heard the Atlantean's voice from the comm-device, asking him to respond, right before the squeal of feedback began.

It wasn't Kaldur's fault, that wasn't fair. It was his own. He should have had the sense to turn the thing off when he decided to go stealth. He should have noticed that there was a signal jammer here somewhere.

And now it was too late—there was no way those kids below didn't hear.

He could either fight or run. While the thought of fleeing filled him with burning shame, becoming a bloody smear on the ground would be far more humiliating. There was stupid-risky and there was plain stupid, and attempting to take on an entire super-powered team by himself—without even the element of surprise on his side—was just plain stupid.

If he got beaten to a pulp by a bunch of kids, and the Team found out about it, he would never live it down.

Busting that thief had been Red Arrow's original plan. He'd gotten intel on a suspected break-in at this lab and, thinking it might be Cheshire (who he'd been tracking for the last week), had gone to investigate. Finding a dark room and a fight just starting, he had hidden in the catwalks and watched. Because, really, which side was he supposed to join? He didn't recognize the light guy, but solo villains were hard to keep track of. New ones popped up every day. More alarming was that he didn't know a single member of these 'Titans'. He had observed them as best he could in the dark, remembering each detail he'd seen of their powers and costumes to research later.

At first he thought that archer with the yellow arrows was Artemis, playing for another team like he always expected of her. He grudgingly ruled that out—she was sloppier than this archer, less experienced.

He didn't know whose side the Titans were on. Just because they were fighting a criminal didn't mean they were heroes. Bad guys had turf wars often enough, and if another young team of superheroes had formed wouldn't he have heard of it?

There would be time to demand the League for info later. For now he focused on dashing to the narrow window that had served as his entrance. Good thing he left it unbolted.

He was so close—just one stride away—when he tripped, bouncing hard against the metal floor of the catwalk. Something had wrapped around his legs, and that something was a boa constrictor straight from a nightmare. Twisting around, he reached out to wring its scaly neck. All his hands found were empty air. The snake vanished. He tried to get back up but was pounced by a new animal, a yowling bobcat with sharp claws.

He aimed his sharpest arrow at the creature's skull. Before he could let it fly, the bobcat melted into a small lizard that darted away. A shapeshifter.

Keeping his bow drawn in case of more surprises, he got to his feet. His legs felt weak—maybe from standing up too fast. The tension in his bowstring slackened as the weakness crept to his arms. Too late, he registered the chemical smell of knock-out gas.

The arrow fell, and then the bow. Shortly after, he was following them to the floor.

After some time, a few seconds or a minute or five—he couldn't tell—the blackness pulled back slightly. He heard noise. Floating along with the patterns and rhythms of it, his mind eventually cleared enough to recognize what it was: speech.

"...EMP arrows, they're hell to get right." A male, late teens. He had a tone that made it seem he was talking at someone instead of talking to them. And familiar, the voice was so familiar. "I'm taking these, I don't care what Robin says." Rustling and clinking. "And these ones release high-density foam. I don't get it—I worked on a similar idea for weeks, never got results."

"We'd better take care of this." The sound of a small electronic being crunched under a heel. "Speedy, was your solo career this successful?" The voice speaking was that of a young woman. It was soft, but had a restrained edge. Like a shard of glass concealed in sand.

"It was fine." The male voice was peppered with annoyance.

"And that explains why you're on a team now."

"Okay, it sucked. Happy?" Silence. "It was still better than being a sidekick." The last word was spat out as though it left a bad taste in the speaker's mouth.

"Was Green Arrow that bad?" a third voice piped up. Another male—boyish, casual. Raspy with an underlying squeak.

"I don't know, I was just sick of not getting respect. Sidekicks never do, and that's all anyone ever saw me as. Don't know why it took this guy so long to realize that, the files Cyborg jacked said he's only been solo for a few months. I was on my own way earlier than him. At least he got rid of that stupid hat."

"It's just weird that you're kind of the same here, but Robin's so..." It was the boy again. "Different."

"What do you expect? Parallel universes are supposed to be weird. The thing that freaks me out is that time flows at the exact same rate as ours. It's... convenient. Hey, did he just move?"

"Is that why Robin left? He wanted respect?" The girl this time.

"Pretty sure it was more than that. Something between him and the Bat. I've only heard rumors... Jinx, I really think Red here's waking up."

Footsteps. A new voice spoke. "Beast Boy, you're supposed to be keeping watch." It was also familiar, but his foggy mind couldn't even begin to place it. The speaker was no-nonsense, sharp, seemed to be already thinking three steps ahead. "We still can't contact Cyborg, but Light's suit is broken so he's not much of a threat. We'll take him back to the ship and wait. Anything left up here?"

"Don't think so. I'll double-check in a sec, just making sure this guy's out."

Footsteps faded away.

"You're right," the girl admitted, "he does seem to be waking up—maybe. But nothing that can't be fixed by, say, a stunning arrow."

The stretch of a bowstring. Darkness again, this time it lingered.

Red Arrow woke up ten minutes later, finding an empty laboratory and a splitting headache. The grated metal floor of the catwalk he'd been lying on left a painful, criss-cross impression on his face. His bow was lying beside him, all his arrows were gone.

He had no recollection of that conversation.

oOo

 _—The Team: Robin—_

 _—Mount Justice—_

"Success!" Wally bounded into the Cave's living room. He was pumping his fists in the air like an Olympic champion, his freckled face bearing a large grin.

"You finally found something to cover your nasty foot odour?" asked Artemis snarkily from her spot on the sofa. The TV was shifting from channel to channel as M'gann valiantly tried to find a program they would all enjoy. Artemis vetoed any hospital dramas, Kaldur couldn't understand sitcoms, and Conner refused to sit through teen movies.

The boy vaulted over the back of the sofa and landed beside her, making her recoil. "You won't talk like that when you find out what we—" He gestured to Robin, who had followed him into the room like a shadow. "—managed to do while you guys were sitting around here."

"Please tell us!" M'gann smiled at both of them in turn. Wally took this opportunity to grab the remote that floated in front of her and began flipping through channels so quickly the picture was reduced to flickering. "And why are you still in uniform, Robin?"

Unlike the rest of his team, who had changed into their civilian clothes, Robin was masked and caped in his uniform of red and black. "Going on patrol soon." That was why he chose to stand behind the sofa instead of sitting, even though there was plenty of room—he didn't want to get too comfortable.

"Tell them about the map," said Wally impatiently. He was struggling with Artemis, holding the remote up high so she couldn't reach it and continuing to change channels nauseatingly fast.

"We found a way to track that strange energy we found." Robin pressed a button on the wrist of his glove and a map of the world took over the television, promptly ending the fight over the remote. Glowing dots were scattered across the east coast of the continent, with two western exceptions.

"Are those the sites of the occurrences?" Kaldur asked with interest.

"Better. They're people." Robin zoomed in to show how some of them were moving. He and Wally had been confused about why the patches of energy they found didn't show up, until they deduced that they simply weren't strong enough. These people, on the other hand, were emitting heaps of energy. The boys just didn't know how or why. Yet.

"Yep," added Wally, resting his feet on the coffee table and stretching his arms. "Turns out there's a bunch of people throwing off this energy, and we found a way to track them with the League's satellite. No big deal or anything." He held up a palm to be high-fived by Robin.

"Batman didn't tell you to do this." There was a question hidden in Kaldur's statement. He was asking if Batman was beginning to give orders directly to Robin, which would mean Batman was doubting Kaldur's ability as leader.

"No," said Robin as both an affirmation and an answer, "we did this on our own. Like Batman said at the debriefing, the League... 'isn't investigating the incidents further at this moment'."

They were all unhappy with the wait-and-see attitude the League was giving the incidents. It made sense—there wasn't enough evidence, the events were of minimal damage, and there were a hundred other more important things that required the League's attention. But it had still stung. So the events weren't important enough for the League, yet totally all right for the Team? Busywork was what it was.

If the League wouldn't take these incidents seriously, fine. The Team had nothing better to do, they hadn't been sent on any real missions in weeks. Robin figured they could do a little more digging, whether the League liked (or knew about) it or not.

Robin magnified the map on a section where six dots were gathered, practically overlapping. "I think it's safe to say this is our mystery group," he surmised.

"What about the others?" asked Conner. There were a handful of other signals on the map, none of them grouped together quite like the six. By Blüdhaven there was a pair, but Robin was confident it was the six they were after.

"Don't know, and right now don't care," replied Wally. "I say we go after the group, kick some butt and take some names, then go from there."

"You're not going anywhere until you explain yourselves," said a steely voice from the doorway, making them all turn. A familiar, red-haired, red-suited archer strode into the room, a scowl clearly etched on his face.

M'gann gasped at the sight of him. "Oh!"

Red Arrow was covered in grime. A nasty bruise was starting to swell purple on his temple. His forearm bore a trio of vicious slashes that had only recently stopped bleeding, looking like the work of a wild animal. The quiver that he kept strapped over his shoulders was empty. Robin shook his head. What had Roy been getting himself into this time?

"What happened?" asked Aqualad, standing up. "Do you require medical attention?"

"I'm fine. They're just scratches."

"No, seriously, what happened?" Robin repeated. "We tried contacting you and all we got was interference, then nothing. Any longer and we were going to put out an alert."

"My communicator broke—I'll tell you about it later." Shrugging off concern on his behalf, dodging questions, leaning against the kitchen counter when he could have sat on the couch—Red Arrow kept his distance in more ways than one. "What was so important that you called me while I was on duty?"

He listened to their story with an annoyed grimace, or maybe it was a grimace of pain from his wounds. Roy could be tough guy to read. It was only when Wally sped off and returned with the piece of evidence they'd found that he showed even minimal interest.

"I thought it looked kind of like one of your arrows, that's why we called you," explained Artemis. She was sitting backwards on the sofa, her arms crossed over the top as she watched Red Arrow with unhidden hostility.

"It's not." He tossed the arrow carelessly onto the countertop. "It's not even red."

She glared. "I know. Don't you care that someone new is being Speedy?"

"No. Why should I? That's in the past." He would have had them all fooled, except... "Green Arrow's not behind it, is he?"

"No, he is not," Kaldur answered. "The League is at a loss, as are we. We are left with the possibility of a rogue, and were hoping you might have some information for us."

The yellow arrow had fallen on the counter so the 'S' logo was facing Roy. He seemed to come to a decision. "I've seen it before," he told them, watching the arrow as though it had personally wronged him.

"Really?" asked Wally. "When? Where?"

"Tonight, in a lab on the outskirts of NYC."

"But what're you doing so far from Star City? This isn't your turf."

"I've been tracking Cheshire. Some activity in this part of the country has been pointing to her." It was Red Arrow's turn to tell them a story, about how he went to foil a robbery at a lab but found the thief already being apprehended by a team of super-powered teens. He explained—through gritted teeth—how the call from Mount Justice had been responsible for blowing his cover, forcing him to make what he called a 'strategic retreat'.

Robin could tell he was glossing over the ending. Judging by his ragged appearance, Red Arrow had been caught and forced into a fight while running away, a fight he'd lost bad.

"I didn't see all of them clearly," the archer was saying, "but I saw enough. They call themselves the Titans."

Just like that, their mystery group had a name.


	4. Chapter 4

**.**

 **Chapter Four**

 _—The Team: Robin—_

The Titans. Robin got zero matches as he combed through the Justice League database on his holographic wrist-computer. Either this team was very new or top secret, or both.

"It was dark—I only got a good look at three of them," Red Arrow explained. "A telekinetic in a cloak; a girl with some kind of energy powers; and a green boy, I think he was a shapeshifter."

"A green shapeshifter?" asked M'gann, puzzled. She looked down at her own green hands that lay folded on her lap. "Another Martian?"

"I'm not convinced. From what I saw he could only change into animals."

"The squirrel!" Robin's exclamation drew a raised eyebrow from Red Arrow, but wide eyes from the rest of the Team as understanding dawned upon them. "I knew there was something weird about it."

"Hold on." Wally pointed at his best friend. He had his head cocked to the side, as though trying to remember something. "Don't those powers ring a bell?"

Robin had made the same connection, and was already pulling up the file. "Beast Boy, member of the Doom Patrol," he read out loud, his thin face lit by the blue glow of the hologram. The dark cloud shrouding the Titans was slowly lifting with each new clue.

"Those second-rate heroes? You think they're responsible?"

Roy shot Wally's theory down as fast as he could shoot an arrow. "It doesn't fit. Like I said: this team is called the Titans, and they're younger."

"Apparently they're in Brazil right now, I'm sending a message asking them to confirm the location of Beast Boy." As Robin's fingers flitted over the keys he had a seeping feeling that this Beast Boy would be exactly where he was reported to be. Like Plasmus, like LeBlanc, the Doom Patrol member would fit into the pattern of somehow being in two places at once.

"There are two others I didn't get a good look at," Red Arrow told the team, bringing Robin back from his thoughts. "One fought with a staff; had a cape. I think he's their leader. And there's an archer. A decent one," he added grudgingly. "But you already know that." The yellow arrow on the countertop was proof they did.

"What about the last one?" M'gann gestured at the map on the television, where the group of dots shone. "There are six of them."

"No, I'm sure they were a team of five. They could have taken the man they defeated, he wasn't there when I—when I came back and investigated."

"So all you did was watch?" Artemis rested her chin in her hand, coolly considering Roy over the top of the couch. "Too scared to join the fight?"

"I wasn't sure who to fight," he defended. "They were up against a thief, but for all I know they wanted the goods for themselves."

"What goods are we talking about, exactly?" asked Robin. It could give a clue as to the group's motives.

Red Arrow was beginning to tire of all the questions. With each answer he gave, his tone increased in exasperation. "There was a kind of miniature generator taken from a safe. I found it on the floor when I came back. It was in rough shape; maybe they didn't want it once it was damaged. There wasn't anything else missing that was worth taking."

It fit the pattern, Robin noted. A piece of technology taken from a safe, but not stolen. "That's interesting." He quirked his head, waiting for the reaction. And sure enough...

"What?" demanded several teens in the room in unison.

Robin spoke slowly. "It seems like, wherever the Titans show up, crimes are being prevented."

Kaldur understood immediately. "A team of young rogues playing hero, perhaps. It makes sense, as one seems to have taken the guise of Speedy."

"We can't know for certain, though," stressed Robin. There was still too much unexplained: the energy readings, people being in two places in once, the fact that Red Arrow had been attacked. Those deep gashes on Roy's arm didn't exactly scream 'friendly'. "The Titans should be treated as dangerous. We need more info before we draw any conclusions."

"So, what now?" Wally asked Kaldur. "Kick butt, take names? Although, we have some names already, so that leaves more room for kicking butt." He expressed his enthusiasm by punching the air a few times.

"This is all important information; the League must be made aware of the Titans. If they choose to send us, we will go. However, taking into account... everything..." Kaldur's eyes swept over Roy's injuries. "The League will likely choose to confront the Titans themselves."

Everything wasn't just a few scratches. Everything was the fact that the League treated the young team like they were made of glass, ever since the training exercise that went so, so wrong. A bit of therapy wasn't enough. Robin knew the Team needed to go on missions - real missions, not the past few glorified errands - to prove to themselves that they weren't useless.

But now that the errands had proved to be more than that, now that things were heating up, the League would make them sit this out.

Red Arrow crossed his arms. "Really? This is your mission, it sounds like you've been on it from the beginning. You're really going to allow the League swoop in and finish it, because you're scared to stand up to them? And here I thought you guys were deserving of respect. Now I see that you're not—not if you hide behind the big capes whenever things get too intense. You must be happy that they don't take you seriously, that they've been sending you on pointless missions where you don't have to risk your necks."

Call Roy a bad influence, but he had a point. His harsh tone jolted awake something in each of them. Heads that had been hanging in grim acceptance were raised, eyes shining defiantly.

The Team had been wallowing, and the League let them. Roy wouldn't. He had stormed in, yanked them roughly out of their puddles of self-pity, and sent them off with a brisk shove—his cutting words were exactly the motivation they needed.

Conner stood abruptly and marched over to Red Arrow. For a second Robin thought that the insults had snapped Superboy, and Roy was about to get a beating. Roy clearly thought the same thing. His body was tensed, ready for a fight, as Conner advanced.

Adopting the same crossed-arm pose, Conner stood beside Roy, shoulder-to-shoulder. "He's right." The archer relaxed at these words. Conner was facing the team. "I thought the whole reason we started this team was to do things ourselves. If the League won't send us on real missions anymore, we have to take matters into our own hands." He was looking straight at Kaldur, challenging him. Everyone was looking straight at Kaldur, waiting for his verdict.

Robin felt for their leader; it was a tough decision. He could tattle on his teammates, losing their respect and admitting he couldn't control them himself, or he could join them on an unapproved mission, which meant taking most of the blame when the League found out. A lose-lose scenario.

"I don't believe it is wise for us to pursue the Titans any further." It was a response no one wanted to hear, but one they had all been expecting. Even Kaldur didn't seem to like the words coming out of his own mouth. He wouldn't meet any of their gazes.

Conner wouldn't accept this. "Get on board, or get out of the way."

This threat shocked Kaldur, his pale eyes went wide. It was the same threat Conner had given that one night in the smoldering ruins of Cadmus, as he, Kaldur, Robin, and Wally had stood before the entire League and given their ultimatum.

Back then they had been so certain, so self-assured and confident in their actions. Robin remembered the feeling well. So did Kaldur, it seemed. He stood taller. The memory had given him the strength to shoulder the weight of leadership, at least for a little while longer.

Conner was impatient for a response, but Kaldur was a person who needed time to think. Robin stepped forward. "Listen." If someone didn't know who Robin was, they might find it funny how a thirteen-year-old boy was capable of intervening between two super-powered heroes twice his mass. "Kaldur, sleep on it, okay? We can't do anything tonight, I have work to do in Gotham. And you guys aren't going on this mission without me—or else. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"What if the League beats us to it?" asked Conner.

"They won't," answered Red Arrow. "They don't have much to go on, as long as none of us tell them more. And I know I'm not talking."

"But, the satellite..." M'gann's red hair flew as she spun her head back and forth from the TV to Robin. "Doesn't the League—"

Robin smiled mischievously. "I never said I accessed the League's satellite with their permission. They don't even know we're using it. Right now, we're the only ones capable of tracking the Titans."

"You didn't tell me that! Does that mean you knew?" demanded Wally. He was awestruck, leaning so far over the back of the couch that it was close to tipping. "You knew where this was headed?"

The answer: sort of. Robin made it his business to think two to three steps ahead. This Titans mystery had felt so much like Cadmus—an occurrence (or string of occurrences, in this case), that the League deemed insignificant, much to their mistake. Robin noticed the pattern in the past few missions, suggesting something... more. He had entertained the thought of the Team striking out on their own. Now that it was actually happening, there was no end to the excitement he felt.

Red Arrow gave his final words before leaving, with an air of one whose work here was done. "The Titans, they're younger, like all of you." Like Roy too, although he would probably sooner chop off his own arm than admit it. "And they're also a team, like all of you. If anyone deserves to take them down, it's you. I'm certainly not going to chase after a bunch of kids. If you ever need back up..." He left the offer hanging in the air behind him, unfinished, but still there.

oOo

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Outside New York City—_

"If you're really heroes, then why aren't I in jail by now?"

Robin wasn't happy, having to keep Doctor Light on the ship. Taking bad guys to one's hideout was always a terrible plan; it should only be done as a last resort.

"However, considering your ages, it makes sense that you're inexperienced and, quite frankly, too stupid to know how to play the hero properly."

This was one of the reasons why. They never stopped talking.

Titans Tower was still unresponsive, and with no better place to hide, they didn't have much of a choice. So, the Doctor was blindfolded and tied up in one of the chairs in the control room, Raven spinning a ring of energy around him as an extra measure. She sat as far across the room from the villain as she could, book held up to her face to block him from her line of sight.

After an hour of cracking jokes unsuccessfully, Beast Boy had disappeared into the kitchen. ("Two bad guys in one night? Dude, this calls for spaghetti!") Jinx followed to help, but her form of helping in the kitchen usually involved her sitting at the counter, reading a magazine.

With nothing else to do, Robin and Speedy were playing a video game. Robin was distracted from checking the corner of the screen for an incoming transmission signal, which is why he kept losing. That had to be why, because Speedy was just pummeling him and Robin refused to admit that the archer was a better player.

"Would you at least shed some light as to your names? Or are you so new to the hero game that you haven't even come up with any yet?"

The band of energy around Light shrunk threateningly, making him squeal. "Of all the villains," said Raven darkly, "it just had to be you."

"You're one comment away from getting yourself gagged, Light," Speedy snapped, bubbling over with frustration as Robin's car finally managed to take the lead.

"I think I have a right to know what you're planning to do with me. Is this about my suit? You want to know about the brilliant technology?" The aforementioned 'brilliant technology' was in shambles; Jinx and Speedy had really done a number on the suit.

"We're waiting for our friend to contact us, and then we're sending you back where you came from: our dimension. And then jail, like you want," explained Robin. Because Doctor Light did have a point - he deserved to know why they were holding him. They were the heroes. They were supposed to follow certain ethics.

Raven looked up from her book for the first time that evening. "Really? You seriously just told him that? He's never going to shut up now."

She was correct. "I think I would remember traveling through dimensions," said Doctor Light.

"The portal you got thrown into fried your brain." Speedy was frantically pounding at the buttons on his controller as Robin's lead widened.

All the villains they'd caught so far had been in varying degrees of confusion; Doctor Light was on the more extreme end of the scale. Unlike him, most of them remembered the Titans to some extent. They just didn't know that they were in an alternate dimension, or how they had gotten there.

Cyborg said it was because Gizmo's portal hadn't been intended for inter-dimensional travel. That had been a complete fluke. Cyborg had adjusted it to handle the frequency before the Titans went through (which was no small feat, as he was quick to remind), allowing them to remain clear-headed. It was troubling that they still didn't know the nature of the malfunction, but stranger things had happened to them in the past. Much, much stranger things. This didn't even make the top ten.

Their enemies' confusion actually worked to the Titans' advantage—it kept the bad guys from roaming too far, and made them lie low. With time that was starting to change, as evident by Doctor Light's finished super-suit. And Robin just knew that Gizmo and Mammoth were up to something.

Light was scoffing as best he could for a man tied up by a bunch of teenagers he was clearly terrified of. "Oh, how enlightening. Fried my brain, right. A very believable story."

"This is your last warning." Raven's teeth were gritted so tightly they couldn't be far from cracking.

"Hey, if he's bugging you, we could gag him," suggested Speedy. "Easy fix."

"Please don't," the villain requested meekly.

Robin frowned. "Yeah, that seems kind of extreme." Hero ethics acting up again. He turned to Light. "But, make one more light pun and I'm seriously reconsidering."

"Raven, just send him back with your powers or something," Speedy said. "This is getting old."

"Sure, Speedy—because it's so easy to open a rift through dimensions." Raven's signature deadpan came out a tad hostile. The mixture of exhaustion and stress from this dragging mission was making them all short with each other.

"Gizmo managed it."

"Gizmo managed a disaster that could have wiped out all existence as we know it."

In the game, Robin's car was inching its way to a win. A win it would never achieve, because there, in the upper corner of the screen, was the blinking 'T' symbol of an incoming transmission. Cyborg's face filled the screen, frowning but unhurt. Suddenly the atmosphere in the room became lighter; less tense. It felt like they'd all been holding their breath until now, expecting the worst.

"It's good to finally hear from you." Robin tossed the game controller aside. "What happened?"

"Man, you don't want to know."

The door was thrown open and Beast Boy entered, waving a wooden spoon. "Cyborg! Finally! This better not have been some kind of prank. So not funny."

"It's getting crowded in here," Raven commented as the final member of the team squeezed into the room. The smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of her mouth. She was also glad to hear from Cyborg. "Maybe we should get rid of him before we talk?" She jerked her thumb at the villain in the corner.

Doctor Light wasn't cooperating. When Robin stuck the transmitter on his shoulder he started thrashing. "I haven't agreed to any of this! I don't want to travel through dimensions—it's unsafe!"

"If you don't stay still," said Jinx, leaning over him menacingly, "then the transfer won't work properly. Half of you will be sent there, and half will stay here. Very messy; I'm sure you don't want that."

A blatant lie, nothing like that would happen. The only consequence would be that the transfer wouldn't happen at all, and they'd have to try again. But, scare tactics worked well on Doctor Light. The man didn't move an inch.

"Locked on to the signal," said Cyborg.

There was a flash of red that made them all squint, and then Doctor Light was gone. Seven left.

There was another flash of red on the computer screen. "I'm having him sent behind bars right away." Cyborg turned and yelled something in fractured Spanish. A blur raced past in the background.

"Seriously, what happened?" Robin was desperate to know. "Why are there two more people here? Who are they?"

"Yeah, about that," Cyborg rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Well, we went to fight Cinderblock—he was terrorizing the construction of the new stadium. It was all a distraction, to get us away from the Tower so... someone... could break in."

A stunned silence fell on the room. Beast Boy was so shocked he dropped his spoon with a clatter. "What?"

"He hacked our security systems, our computers, caught us all by surprise..."

Robin's stomach twisted nervously. "Cyborg, who's he?"

"Slade."

Hearing the name was like getting a blow to the side of the head, it made a shrill ringing begin in Robin's ears. All the air around him seemed to disappear. He gripped the arms of his chair tightly. "No."

"Unfortunately, yes."

His mind was reeling, it was as though he was plummeting a hundred stories without a grappling line to save himself. "But, why? Why would he come here?" He asked the question for everyone present, the rest of the team was totally speechless.

"Turns out he's been behind everything from the beginning. He sent one of those robot duplicates to fight us. When we defeated it, it played a message. The guy just can't resist hinting at his plans." Cyborg smiled grimly. "You know what he's like."

"'Behind everything'? squeaked Beast Boy, looking very small.

"That was no malfunction. Slade knew how to work the portal, which proves he had something to do with it. That thing's no TV—you can't just turn it on. And the message—"

Jinx cut him off sharply. "You said there wasn't a malfunction. Then, what was it exactly?" She was sitting with her legs hugged to her chest. The arrival of Slade had them all shaken.

"While I was waiting for the communications to warm up, I went digging in the portal's programming again. Something Slade said made me think, and I found out the reason I couldn't find the malfunction was that there wasn't one. So, I started looking for something else, and I found it: hidden programming. Seriously hidden. What happened was deliberate."

"If it was hidden, that means Gizmo didn't know about it," Robin reasoned quietly. He ran a gloved hand through his dark hair, trying to collect his thoughts. This was all wrong, the whole mission was being turned upside-down. Everything they thought they knew might as well be chucked out the window.

"Exactly. The portal can switch from a simple transporter—and I'm using the term lightly, because there ain't nothing simple about it—to inter-dimensional by changing the frequency, all thanks to the hidden programming. Slade kept it a secret until he felt like activating it for his own purpose, whatever that is. But it can't be good. I managed to download Slade's message before the robot blew, I think you should see it for yourselves. It'll clear some things up."

It was like traveling back in time to those missions, the ones where Robin was so certain he had Slade in his grasp until he ripped off the metal mask and was met with a video screen instead of a face. The video quality was grainy, most of the picture was in shadow, all that could be seen was Slade standing with his arms behind his back. The mask was the same as always, half black and half copper with a single eye. Robin longed to punch it, crack it right down the middle. When Slade spoke, it was with the same cold, calculated, yet patronizing tone that stretched Robin's nerves like elastic; close to snapping.

"Titans, I'm afraid you've played right into my hands yet again. I really must thank you, Cyborg, for perfecting the portal for me. Yes, that portal. I know all about it. I'll reward you with an explanation, since you've done so much for me. The portal was mine from the beginning." The satisfaction in his voice grated like sandpaper. Slade relished in the shock he knew he caused them. "I struck a deal with Gizmo, feeding him a story about reuniting the Brotherhood of Evil and offering him power in exchange for his skills. It would have been foolish to tell him the true purpose of the portal. I always expected him to double-cross me, but I had hoped he would have completed the portal beforehand. A shame he acted so prematurely, however he fulfilled his role as a test subject quite well, as did your comrades. Again, Cyborg, thank you."

The message ended with Slade applauding, three slow claps.

Cyborg reappeared on the screen. "There you have it."

"Test subjects." Raven said hollowly. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Test subjects."

"He knew," Robin growled. "He knew Gizmo would use the portal himself to bring back the Brotherhood, and he knew that we would show up to stop them." Robin could picture it: Slade watching the scene with cool amusement, finger poised over the button. Had there been a button? Of course there had been, it was Slade. He must've had cameras in the warehouse Gizmo used as a workshop for the portal—he always had cameras. "He knew we would try to bring back anyone who got sucked into this dimension, and he knew we'd have to make the portal safe in order to do so. We were playing his game this whole time."

When it came to advanced technology, other than his robots, Slade preferred stealing or coercing from others. He couldn't finish the portal himself, even if he could he would never take the risk of being the first one to travel through.

They'd just been pawns. Test subjects.

If it had gone wrong, if the portal had been unable to handle the inter-dimensional frequency and destroyed the Titans, what did Slade care? He would have tried again, hunted down others with technological expertise until he got his damned portal running smoothly. Either the Titans survived and unknowingly gave him a ticket to this dimension, or the Titans perished and he could breathe a little easier. A win-win scenario, thought Robin bitterly.

But, to what end was Slade working towards? Now that he was in this dimension, what was he planning?

"He knows something about this dimension that we don't, something important enough to make him want to come here," Robin realized. How Slade even found out about this dimension, Robin had no idea. Just another question to add to the growing list. "This isn't only about us."

"If he has plans in this dimension, it sure wasn't a smart move to tell us." Speedy was leaning back in his chair, boots resting on the console, as he feigned calmness.

"He doesn't think we'll be able to stop him," said Beast Boy. "But we will. We'll figure out what Slade's planning, right Robin?"

In the past, this would be the part where Robin stayed up all night bathed in the glow of the computer screen, determined to do just that: figure out Slade. He had never succeeded, not once. Slade planted a trail of red herrings miles long, he always did everything in his power to make sure Robin never anticipated what was to come, simply because he enjoyed watching the Boy Wonder struggle.

"Sending trouble your way, leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel..."

Sure, Slade would throw Robin hints like the message to string him along, but the real plan, the final goal Slade was working toward, would remain hidden. Robin finally realized—the only way to anticipate Slade was to anticipate anything and everything.

"Right, Robin?" Beast Boy asked again, more hesitantly.

Robin had been hunched over, head bowed, lost in his thoughts. He couldn't do this to his team, he couldn't withdraw into himself and push them away, not again. They needed their leader. He straightened and looked over at Beast Boy. "Right. Whatever it is, he's not going to get away with it. We'll make sure he won't." There was one question Robin had to ask Cyborg, one that had been overlooked. "Who did Slade bring with him?" There were two new signals, after all.

Cyborg grimaced, as though dreading being asked this, "As far as I know, nobody. Records show a second person went through the portal separately, five minutes later. There's no footage, all the cameras were disabled with the security system, so we can't know who."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" asked Jinx.

"'Fraid not, that's all I know. I need to go—we've got a lot of clean-up to do here; the security system still needs some work." Here he paused, and looked directly at Robin. "Y'all be careful, all right? Slade may have been underground for the past year, but he's dangerous as ever. And when he hacked our computers, he found out everything about the mission. He knows where to look for you."

After Cyborg signed off, Robin brought the map back up on the screen. One of the two signals—the Slade one, Robin was certain—had started moving steadily east, while the other was wandering around Jump.

The silence was broken by Beast Boy. "So, I guess Gizmo and Mammoth will have to wait?" he ventured. Robin saw him share a concerned glance with Raven. They were worried Robin would do something reckless. They didn't need to be. He had made his decision.

It was a tough decision. Robin wanted nothing more than to confront Slade immediately and punch him hard enough to break the laws of physics, sending the psychopath flying back through dimensions and into the jail cell where he belonged. If Robin did, he'd be playing straight into Slade's hands. Slade was expecting Robin to find him right away. It wasn't like he made his entry into this dimension a secret. The last thing Robin wanted was to have his whole team fall into a trap.

"Let him come to us—that's what he's doing. We're sticking with our original plan. Gizmo and Mammoth have been here too long already, I know they're up to something. And there's a chance Gizmo knows something about Slade's plans." A slim chance, but better than nothing.

"Too slow, Robin. You always were."

Following the clues Slade left would only leave Robin doing just that: following. A different approach was needed. He wasn't going to play Slade's game anymore. He would forge a new path, one that he hoped would end with him being two steps ahead instead of two steps behind.


	5. Chapter 5

**.**

 **Chapter Five**

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Saturday; Outside New York City—_

In his dream, Robin was home. He walked into the large living room of Titans Tower and for the first time in weeks he felt like he could truly breathe. His friends were there, all of them, just like old times. The sun was rising over Jump; golden light hitting the tall windows and slanting across the floor. Everything was perfect.

Like many dreams, this one tended to the bizarre. The boy was there - thirteen-year-old Robin. He stood among the others with a comfortable ease, like he belonged, his head thrown back in laughter at something Robin had missed hearing.

When Robin told the boy to leave—go away, go home—the Titans rounded on him.

But, Robin...

It's your fault he's here, dude.

He left Batman because of you. Why'd you tell him all that?

Now he doesn't have anywhere else to go.

He wanted to deny everything, but his voice wouldn't work. There can't be two Robins here, he finally managed to protest. There just can't.

You're right, they told him. There can't be two. The other world needs a Robin now. That's why you have to leave; you have to go stop Slade. Go! Isn't that what you've always wanted, to stop him all by yourself?

A fierce red glow flared in the room. It was pulling him away from his friends, he was being dragged horizontally by it. He struggled, tried to grab onto something, but even things within reach could not be reached.

The red light was coming closer—surrounding him—but just before it claimed him something solid grasped his desperately scrambling hand.

Starfire. Her incredible emerald-green eyes were all that existed among the red. She spoke, but he couldn't decipher the words. Her hand let go of his, and those eyes watched him as he plummeted into the inferno.

He woke up. Not with a start, or a gasp. He slowly opened his eyes and realized he was safe in a warm bed, instead of falling through an infinite void. He kicked off his blanket in the night and it was half hanging over the side. He was a chronic blanket-kicker—they were always gone by the morning. Speedy was snoring in the bunk below.

Robin punched his pillow into a more comfortable position and tried to get back to sleep. By his internal clock he hadn't slept very long; another couple hours would be ideal. Sure, he'd managed with less sleep before, but it was going to be a very long day.

It wasn't the worst dream he'd ever had. Not even close. The ending was the only part that unsettled him. Awake, he now understood what Starfire had said to him—her final words in the dream had been his parting words to her when she left for Tamaran.

He had put a brave face on. He had been understanding. He had been unselfish. And now he kicked himself every time he remembered how the disappointment had settled on her face, twisting her soft smile into something forced.

Deformed psychopaths, ruthless criminals, monsters of all shapes and sizes—he had no problem talking to them; he never got tongue-tied in the middle of a battle. When it came to Starfire, and that moment, he had been at a complete loss.

She had been hopeful that he would step up, say what she needed him to say, but he left her with the wrong words. If he could go back he would swap a couple.

What he should have said was: Don't go, I need you.

Not that it would have stopped her from leaving anyway.

It was all just so stupid, he thought as he drifted back to sleep. He couldn't travel back in time, but traveling through dimensions? No problem, apparently.

oOo

 _—Teen Titans: Raven—_

Something was amiss, that something being Raven's roommate.

She was surprised that Jinx had managed to leave without waking her, since Jinx had the top bunk and Raven wasn't a heavy sleeper. That girl was sneaky. Raven supposed a light-footed roommate was better than a loud one, although her preference would always be no roommate at all. Raven could remember hearing of the sound of a door scraping open, but she'd been half-asleep and unable to distinguish between dream and reality. Now she was at the point where the line between the two was clear. She got out of bed, wiped her gummy eyes, and looked into the top bunk to check. It was empty.

She left her bed, left the room, and left her cloak. The dark leotard she wore had her legs bare and prickling with goosebumps from the autumn morning chill that had seeped into the plane.

Tn the right, down the narrow hallway, was the kitchen. Pasta sauce was splattered on every surface—the remains of Beast Boy's spaghetti disaster the night before. No one was there. To the left was the control room. She carefully stepped over the fluffy and impossibly green cat slumbering on a pillow and pulled open the door.

Sitting in the pilot's seat that was usually reserved for their leader, was Jinx. The girl was facing away from Raven, looking at the computer screen. Jinx had her chin in her hand, elbow leaning heavily against the armrest, giving Raven just a small glimpse of pink hair peeking out from the side of the chair.

The seated girl stirred, turning her head ever so slightly to show that she acknowledged Raven's presence. Jinx didn't speak, instead she continued scrolling through what looked like internet news articles.

Raven settled cross-legged in a chair to the girl's right, watching the screen. Jinx would pause on articles with pictures of two famous speedster heroes—the Flash and his sidekick. The Flash and his sidekick fighting criminals, the Flash and his sidekick visiting the Hall of Justice, the Flash and his sidekick saving the day yet again.

Suffering trapped the girl, like a cold stone lodged in her chest. Raven could sense it. It wasn't as intense as it had once, but it was constant, pressing up with every heartbeat.

It wasn't easy to earn Raven's trust, especially since the last mysterious girl to win the heart of a Titan and join the team had betrayed them so completely. When it became official that Kid Flash and Jinx were together, Raven had vowed to remain vigilant and watch the sorceress attentively for any sign of duplicity. After a few visits from the couple at Titans Tower, Raven had been forced to admit to herself that Jinx was indeed on the straight and narrow. Those feelings she sensed passing between Jinx and Kid Flash had been pure. That couldn't be faked—Raven's powers didn't lie.

And the grief Jinx felt, now that he was gone? That couldn't be faked, either.

Now Raven was sensing something new: something sticky and sickening. Buzzing adrenaline that came from driving recklessly without a seatbelt, from the moment of giddy weightlessness during a drop on a rollercoaster. A false hope threatening to block out all reason.

A picture of Kid Flash was on the screen again. He beamed at them, holding up a recovered museum treasure.

"Jinx, you need to stop."

She flicked through a few more articles before responding. "Why shouldn't I get to see him? You got to, yesterday."

"It's not him. He's not your Kid Flash."

"He could be. How can I know until I meet him for myself?" The hope was being clutched like a lifeline.

"You don't want to do that. It will only make it harder when you go back—and Jinx, you have to go back."

"I could stay behind."

"You don't belong here."

"I belong with him, and he's here. So maybe I do."

"No, you don't. You know that." Raven was sure that Jinx hadn't missed the indications that labeled them as outsiders every moment they spent in this dimension, putting them in a constant state of faint unease. It was there when they saw the sun but couldn't feel its warmth. It was in the way that all the colours seemed muted to them, in the way that the music Beast Boy once played on the ship's computer had sounded like dead noise (and not just because he had terrible taste). The Teen Titans were not welcome here.

The articles were being scrolled faster down the screen.

"Jinx, if you stay and try to convince yourself you belong here, you'll go mad. It might take months or years, but deep down you'll know this world isn't yours, and eventually your mind won't be able to handle it. That's why you shouldn't meet him."

The computer screen was turned off. With the push of a button it retracted back into the ceiling. Jinx stood abruptly and turned to Raven, who had been expecting to see tears and was instead met with an unnerving smile. An extreme case of bed-head had Jinx's hair sticking up in all directions, making her look more like the villain she had once been than the Titan she was now.

"It was nice talking to you Raven, but I think I'm going to go out for a walk. Get some fresh air, clear my head. It's a beautiful day." The door was opened from the other side as Jinx reached for it. "Good morning, Robin!"

"Oh, uh... yeah. Good morning." The two maneuvered around each other. Robin watched her go, bemused. He looked to Raven, still cross-legged in her chair. "She's in a pretty good mood." His uniform was rumpled. None of the Titans owned pajamas. He took a bite of the apple in his hand, chewing happily.

Another morning, another cheerful Robin. The same pattern repeated itself every day. It was like all the earlier frustration, all the misfortune, and all the calamity were simply wiped clean. Come nightfall, it would be a different story—over the course of each working day Robin took a steady decline in mood.

She felt bad for ruining his morning, but this was important. "Robin, we need to talk."

oOo

 _—Teen Titans: Beast Boy—_

 _—Blüdhaven—_

Beast Boy the pigeon caught an icy gust that pushed him higher above the warehouses.

The sky was the kind of cloudless blue that brought to mind summer days at the beach, but it was all a complete lie. It was definitely not summer, the virtually arctic wind was proof of that. He circled lazily around a column of smoke from a factory chimney for a bit. From his vantage point the industrial area looked like a pattern of dull, grey rectangles. This was not a fun way to spend a Saturday. He spotted his target and spiraled down, landing on the flat roof.

Looking every bit the innocent bird, except for being green, he hopped closer to the towering sign. It was a company logo and letters that he had trouble understanding in his present form. Behind the sign, hidden in a thin slice of shadow, were two humans—something any normal pigeon would be wary of, especially since one of them had a bow and knew how to use it.

The other human was knelt over a large piece of paper that the wind was threatening to snatch away. He addressed Beast Boy, who quickly changed back to human. "You sure you weren't followed?"

"Dude, I flew around for like ten minutes—of course I'm sure! Any longer up there and I would've been a bird-sicle." Robin was being more paranoid than usual, if that was even possible, and it was driving Beast Boy nuts.

"Fine. What did you find?" Robin's pencil was poised over the paper.

Beast Boy relayed what he had seen while posing as a mouse in a nearby 'abandoned' warehouse, giving Robin enough information to draw up a rough floor-plan of the building. Meanwhile, Speedy kept an eye out and an arrow notched.

"What about that window?" asked Robin, always the stickler for details. He had paused from sketching to survey the building in question with binoculars. "Top one, second from the right. What room is that?"

"Uh..." Beast Boy thought fast. He scratched behind his ear, stumped. It wasn't to a hallway, that was third to the right. The right-most window was also to the hallway. So it had to be... "Stairwell, connects all the floors except the basement." Sometimes his memory surprised him.

"The stairs to the basement-"

"In that room." He pointed on the map.

Robin marked it down neatly and drew a star next to it. The guy had a plan already.

A sudden, extra-strong burst of wind made the sign creak ominously. Robin's cape snapped back and forth like it had taken on a mind of its own. Beast Boy nearly tipped sideways from the strength of the gust. It was a lousy day to be outside.

"Are we almost done here?" asked Speedy as he smoothed his wind-ruffled hair back in place.

"Yeah, we've been here like an hour already. Don't tell me you're sending me back in there again. It smells. And last time Mammoth almost saw me." Robin jerked his head up at this last comment. "I said 'almost'!" Beast Boy emphasized hastily, seeing the alarm on his face.

"I just want to be sure of our escape routes." Robin had his binoculars out again. "Gizmo and Mammoth will be tougher to take down than one person, and last night was too close. We can't afford to be seen again. We know the other side has telepaths; they could find out about us."

Beast Boy looked at his feet, knowing Robin wouldn't be happy with what he was about to say. "Don't you think we're doing something wrong if we're calling the good guys 'the other side'?"

The mask sometimes made it a challenge to judge Robin's expression. Beast Boy had a rule of thumb to tell how angry Robin was: a short glance meant he was just annoyed, a medium-length gaze meant everything was fine, and a long look meant 'run away'. The white lenses were aimed at Beast Boy for a whopping five seconds.

"Beast Boy, you've never been interrogated by Batman, have you?"

It wasn't a good sign that Robin was talking about Batman. He never talked about Batman. Beast Boy gulped.

"Because I have been, a few times," continued Robin. He was scratching more notes into the blueprints, keeping his tone scarily casual. "Mostly to practice keeping cool while captured, but a couple times because he thought I could be an impostor and he wanted to make sure it was me." So that's where Robin got all his paranoia.

"If this is about all the jail-breaks-"

"And illegally accessing the Justice League database." Speedy began to rattle off their many misdemeanors. "And hijacking their satellite, and all the property damage, and attacking security guards - oh, and one hero. And stealing that hero's weapons, but I take full responsibility for that." He proudly patted the quiver on his back, in which red-fletched arrows mingled with his typical gold ones.

Beast Boy flailed his arms, trying to get a chance to speak. "Even before any of that, I was saying we should talk to the Justice League! Maybe back at the beginning they would've helped us. You never listened."

"It's more than that." Robin shook his head. "Do you know how unbelievable our story is? Traveling through dimensions?"

"We believed Larry."

"The guy came out of my skull, it was hard not to believe him. This is completely different. The League will never trust us, never take us seriously—they'll think we're too young. It's hard enough trying to deal with our own Justice League. And remember: it's best for everyone if we avoid interfering with this dimension more than we already have." Rolling up the paper, he stood. "I think we're done here for now. We'll come back tonight."

Outvoted again. Beast Boy sighed and turned back into a pigeon that followed his friends across the rooftops. He told himself it would be okay. They were down to their last handful of baddies; they'd be back home again before anything bad could happen.

The only scary thing was that Slade was here now, still making his way to the east coast. And then there was the other signal, the unknown one. They still didn't know who it was, and although it was now travelling in the same direction as Slade it was becoming clearer and clearer as time passed and the separation between the signals grew that they weren't traveling together, or even towards the same destination. (At least, that's what Robin and the others kept saying.)

None of that mattered. As a team they could take down Slade, and the mystery signal too. They could handle it—they were the Teen Titans.

Really, at this point, what could possibly go—

He stopped himself from finishing that thought.

oOo

 _—The Team: Robin—_

 _—Mount Justice—_

True to their word, Robin's friends hadn't gone on the mission without him. But while he was chasing muggers through the dark streets of Gotham, they had been keeping an eye on the map. And they noticed something strange.

He didn't get a chance to hear their message until he got home—can't afford to be distracted while on patrol with Batman, he'd know something was up—and by then it had been almost sunrise. Robin's teammates had all been asleep, unresponsive. Robin tried to do the same, but his mind had been burning with questions like neon lights.

How could someone they were tracking just disappear?

Back at Mount Justice late in the morning, sunglasses hiding both his eyes and the dark bags that hung under them from lack of sleep, he found that everyone else was wondering the same thing as they scrutinized the map.

"You think they killed him?" asked Wally, flipping the TV channel back from a football game they'd been using as a cover. Their current baby-sitter, Black Canary (since Red Tornado was away on a mission), had just left the room, so it was safe to resume Titan-related conversation. "Because, like, it's gone. It isn't that one of them just decided to split from the group—the whole total, of all the signals, went down by one. They must've killed that guy they beat."

"Do you really think so? Red Arrow said they were our age... I can't imagine doing something so awful," said M'gann from the adjoining kitchen. It would be too suspicious if they were all clustered around the television—Canary might ask why they were all suddenly such fans of the Star City Stags—so M'gann was busying herself by making apple pie. The apples were being largely neglected, however.

Conner, not wanting to be cooped up inside, was taking Wolf out for a walk, and Artemis had things to do at home. Nothing specific, just 'things', but she had promised to be back mid-afternoon.

"It could be that one person is no longer being registered. You said you were tracking an energy signature, correct?" Kaldur looked at Wally and Robin, who both nodded. "Perhaps it simply wore off."

"I guess." Wally slumped lower on the sofa. "I just wish I knew what it is. All the tests keep coming back..." He jolted upright and pointed at the screen. "Zoom in! Zoom!"

Robin obliged as best he could. There was a limit to how much they could zoom in without the League noticing someone was hijacking their satellite. With the highest magnification available, the teens could see that the group of five was finally making a move. They'd been stationary on the outskirts of Blüdhaven for the past couple hours. Now they were splitting up—three moved together, two stayed put.

It was incredibly dull to watch, yet riveting at the same time. For fifteen minutes they followed the progress of the three dots and tossed around theories. M'gann's baking didn't get farther than a few peeled apples dumped in a foil pie pan.

"They're going to meet up with those other two people!" Wally was leaning forward so intently he was barely in contact with the sofa at all.

The trio was indeed headed in the direction of two signals they hadn't paid much attention to before, but then the trio stopped. One split away and continued its journey. Robin began to understand the movements of the solo signal; why it was skirting around and kept returning to its partners. "They're scoping out the place. That's their next target, we need to go there tonight!"

"Tonight?" asked Kaldur.

"They strike at night. Don't you get it?" Robin couldn't help but grin. Things were finally starting to make sense to him. "They're after the people on this map. I don't know why—yet—but if we go tonight we'll find out a lot more than we will sitting around here."

"I second Rob's plan." Wally got up and stood before Kaldur, arms crossed. "C'mon, Kal. You know you want to. It'll be like Cadmus all over again."

"In a good way," supplied Robin. "This time we'll know what we're getting into."

"Kind of," Wally added.

It was lucky that Wally, Robin, and M'gann were the three in the room with Kaldur at the time. They were the best hope for swaying him. It had been Wally and Robin's beams of encouragement that swept Kaldur into the Cadmus adventure, and even the coldest hearts would melt at M'gann's pretty, earnest face.

If Conner were here, he would be breathing down Kaldur's gilled neck brusquely. If Artemis were here, she and Wally would be poisoning the atmosphere with their bickering. Wally, Robin, and M'gann together were pure gold. Enthusiasm, gleefulness, and innocence, respectively.

They were completely irresistible, and they knew it. Kaldur only lasted ten seconds before giving in. He sighed heavily. "You are correct; I am tempted. But," he said, interrupting Wally and Robin's fist-bump and M'gann's quick, delighted claps, "if we go, we will need to make sure that our absence is not noticed."

"No problem," piped up M'gann. She floated over, leaving the apples to brown in the air. "Black Canary is always busy on Saturday nights. The Cave will be deserted."

"Awesome, Megan!" Wally grinned at her like she had personally arranged for Black Canary to leave.

The excitement they were all feeling seemed to hit Kaldur just now. "We're truly going through with this." It wasn't a question. A small, sly smile crept onto his face, a smile Robin hadn't seen since that fateful afternoon at the Hall of Justice when they first chose to take matters into their own hands.

Come to think of it, it had been the longest time since Robin had seen their leader give any sort of smile. Robin slouched into the sofa cushions and nervously tugged at a loose string in the sleeve of his sweater, wondering if leadership meant the same thing for everyone. Taking the mantle from Aqualad had once been Robin's goal, one shining ahead at a distance he couldn't judge, but one he knew he'd eventually reach.

In the training exercise, a twisted version of all he'd strived for had been forced upon him. Being in charge hadn't been like he imagined, and now the idea of ever being leader again felt dark and rotten. A spoiled aspiration.

"Rob?"

The Boy Wonder snapped his head up. "Yeah? Sorry, I was thinking about the mission."

Wally plucked up the remote from where it lay on the couch beside Robin and aimed it at the screen. "You guys, let's go outside or something. I'm so sick of watching TV."


	6. Chapter 6

**.**

 **Chapter Six**

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Blüdhaven—_

The sun had set on Blüdhaven. It was time.

The four Titans stood on the roof of a neighboring building, at the full mercy of the freezing wind as they waited for Beast Boy's signal. Pure strength of will kept Robin from shivering in his short-sleeved uniform. Superheroes never shivered. He kept his gloved hands balled in fists in a way that (he hoped) looked like he was just restless to start fighting, when actually it was so his fingers wouldn't go numb. Years ago, he bounded across Gotham's rooftops during bitterer nights than this with only his excitement and a couple layers of kevlar and reinforced fabric to keep him warm, and didn't remember ever being bothered by cold like this. Living in sunny Jump City had changed him in many ways.

At least he had gloves, and his uniform covered most of his skin. He didn't know how Raven could handle having bare legs in this weather, or how Speedy could handle having bare arms. Neither of them betrayed any signs of being cold as they watched the run-down warehouse before them.

In a second story window, the light of a firefly flashed. Raven lifted her arms and enveloped them in an orb of dark energy. They were blind as they flew through the air, but Robin trusted her to get them there safe. When the world rematerialized, they were inside the building—in a dingy hallway. He could hear the wind howling outside the walls.

Beast Boy pointed at a door—rather unnecessarily, since Robin could see the faint light spilling around the frame. All of Robin's preparations meant that his team knew exactly what to do. Speedy sprinted noiselessly down the hall and around a corner, shadowed by Beast Boy in the form of a panther. The rest of them gathered at the door. Silently, they waited as Robin gave the others time to get in position.

When he was confident they were ready, he signaled a countdown. At one, the door was ripped off its hinges with a sound like a gunshot.

The room was large; it must have taken up the majority of this level. It was lit by raw lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, giving an effect of warped shadows. Boards covered the windows to prevent the light from being seen outside. There were wooden crates stacked against the walls, some of them cracked open to show goods that could only have been stolen, knowing the HIVE kids.

Raven—still controlling the door—made it fly forward to knock a large, black-and-gold-clad teen off his feet. The whole room shook from the impact, crates jumped and clattered back against the floor. Mammoth, hairy as ever and a true epitome of the 'larger they are / harder they fall' saying, didn't get back up right away.

Their other target was by a workbench in the corner. "Crud!" With a clatter, Gizmo threw down the tools he was using and ran to another door, only to find Speedy standing there, arrow aimed straight at him and fingers just itching to let it fly.

Beast Boy leapt out from behind Speedy, teeth and claws bared. He transformed from a panther to a grizzly bear as he threw himself at Mammoth, who just got to his feet. Jinx joined the fight, making fuchsia light dance in the room.

Activating his jet-pack, Gizmo attempted a desperate escape out a window but was foiled by a well-aimed birdarang on Robin's part. The sharp projectile lodged in the device strapped on Gizmo's back, causing it to sputter and die. One of Speedy's net arrows trapped the small mastermind before he hit the ground. He spewed an unending string of creative insults as he struggled against the trap.

A combination flying crates, stinging darts of energy, and vicious, clawed swipes felled Mammoth without much trouble. The lightbulbs swung wildly overhead from the ruckus.

"Looks like you were worried for nothing, Robin," said Beast Boy as he watched Robin and Speedy tie up Mammoth with their best knots. The giant was out cold, but they weren't taking any chances. The net would be enough to hold Gizmo. "I know we're not supposed to say it, but that was so ea—"

Raven clapped a hand over Beast Boy's mouth, possibly saving them all. "Don't."

"Beast Boy, keep watch for that jet." At Robin's order the shapeshifter grudgingly walked over to a window and—after tugging the nailed boards off with some difficulty—perched as an owl on the sill.

An icy draft flowed inside. The light spilling from the open window would be as obvious as a flashing neon arrow, Robin realized. "Jinx."

"Already on it." A flourish of her hands sent hexes through the room, extinguishing each bulb with a pop. Working in the dark was something the Titans were becoming accustomed to.

Robin's vision adapted quickly. He could distinguish the figures of his friends, but the dimness was such that their faces were blank with shadows. One was missing.

"Guys, I think you should see this." Speedy had wandered over to the far side of the room, by the workbench. The area was such a mess of gadgets and spare parts that Robin wasn't sure what particular thing Speedy was referring to, until he saw it. Then he knew. There wasn't anything else it could be.

Speedy pulled off the heavy sheet, making dust swirl about the room.

The metal frame was round and taller than any of them, patches of steel plating peeled back to show its electronic inner workings—still unfinished. Surrounded by this frame was a glowing spiderweb of delicate wiring.

Robin was constantly on the lookout for validation that his decisions as leader were the correct ones. And here it was. If he had chosen to go after Slade instead of Gizmo, this portal would have been completed. A doorway into their home dimension, letting in who-knows-what. Just imagining the consequences...

"Destroy it."

Pink energy lit up the room, accompanied by the sounds of metal twisting and buckling.

"Hey, I worked hard on that!" whined Gizmo, twisting in his bindings to look at what was now a shapeless heap of scrap metal.

Robin loomed over him. He was going to get the information he needed from Gizmo, even if he had to pull a Batman and hang the kid out a window by the feet. "What's Slade planning?"

"How should I know?"

"Because you're working for him."

"Wrong, Bird-Brain."

He pressed the steel toe of his boot against Gizmo's chest threateningly. "Tell me why you've been building another portal for him, or things are going to get ugly."

"Yeah, like you snot-faces could get much uglier than you already are."

"Want to bet?" growled Raven. Four narrow, red eyes glowered under her hood. The boy in the net squirmed. Of all the things he had forgotten by going through the portal, it was clear that what lay under that hood wasn't one of them.

"Just tell us, Gizmo." Jinx was half-leaning, half-sitting on a nearby crate, arms crossed. "We know you built this portal for him. What do you gain by protecting Slade?" In times like these, her first-hand grasp of villain logic came in handy.

"Do you stinking losers ever get tired of being wrong? I don't know what he's planning! I haven't seen him in weeks."

Robin gestured at the remains of the portal. "Then explain this!"

"I'm not working for that scud-scraper anymore."

"So you admit you were."

"He gave me some plans to build a portal, yeah. The crud-muncher wanted to bring back together the Brotherhood, with him as the leader. He said he'd cut me in on the deal. He knew you mulch-sniffing Titans were searching for any whiff of him, so he couldn't do it himself."

"And then you betrayed him," Jinx said boredly. So far, none of this was new information. "You had the portal, you knew how to use it. You thought you were going to bring the Brotherhood back together, and take all the credit. Double-crossing, just like unit six of AP Treachery. One of your best classes."

"Yours too," Gizmo snarled back. "At least I had a decent reason to double-cross—why'd you do it?"

"You know why, it was because—Oh." She tilted her head towards her teammates, and quietly told them her realization with a half-smile that couldn't be seen in the dark, but rather sensed. "He doesn't remember."

"She's not the one under interrogation here." Raven's red eyes glowed more fiercely in the gloom. "Tell us more about why you activated the portal. Or else."

"I'm the one who slaved over the thing, I deserved the credit! He didn't know anything; he kept saying it wasn't finished when I knew it was. And then you kludge-heads had to come and blow it up, so I moved out here to build another which you just smashed, you—"

Gizmo's ranting wasn't any help to the Titans. It was clear that his memories were too tampered by the portal—he truly had no idea he was in a different universe, and he truly had no idea what Slade was planning. The story of the portal being blown up had been created by Gizmo's mind to fill in the blanks. Other villains the Titans caught had told similar tales.

The four Titans huddled for a quick team chat, heads almost touching. They kept their voices barely above a whisper so the HIVE kids couldn't hear—well, so Gizmo couldn't hear. Mammoth was still out cold.

"This portal was just another attempt to bust the Brotherhood out of jail," murmured Jinx. "He doesn't realize that there isn't even a Brotherhood in this dimension to bust out. Gizmo built it himself, without Slade's interference, that means—"

"It's not inter-dimensional," Speedy completed. "It doesn't have that programming yet. He just built a simple transporter."

"It still needed to be destroyed," said Raven flatly.

Robin nodded as best he could without whacking someone else's skull with his own. "If Slade got his hands on it, he could..."

What? What could Slade do? Find a way to turn the portal inter-dimensional, but what then? The sentence died on Robin's tongue as he realized he had no clue. He only knew that Slade mustn't be allowed to travel between the two dimensions on his own whims. Right now the villain was stranded here, and the only way he was going back to his home universe was in handcuffs, after the Titans wiped the floor with him.

The Titans were the sole gate-keepers, and that's how it needed to stay.

"What are you barf-brains yammering about?" demanded Gizmo.

The Titans broke their huddle. They'd been in this seedy warehouse too long already. Any further questioning would have to be done by Cyborg once Gizmo and Mammoth were back in their proper dimension; where their minds would be clearer. Robin reached into a compartment on his utility belt for the transmitters.

The owl on the sill hooted loudly, like a cuckoo clock striking the hour, and morphed back to human. "We need to get out of here ASAP! Jet's coming, and it's close!"

"Same one?"

"Uh-huh. It sounds so weird, like it doesn't even have engines or anything."

"Raven, can you-" Robin was cut off by a roar, the snapping of ropes, a shout. Whether Mammoth had woken up or had just been pretending to be unconscious, it didn't matter. What mattered was that he took their distraction as a chance to break free, and that Raven had been swatted aside and now lay limply on the floor, her cloak pooling around her. "No! Raven!"

Hexes and arrows pursued the escapee as he crashed through the wall and landed heavily on the street below, cracking the pavement. "Don't leave me behind, you idiot!" Gizmo was shrieking after him.

Beast Boy made to give chase, but Robin grabbed him by the shoulder. "There's no point."

The boy tensed for a moment, prepared to rip free of Robin's grip, but ultimately gave in. They would have to catch Mammoth another time, he had already ducked out of sight into an alley, and there were other things to worry about—like Raven. Panic was boiling within Robin, from concern for his injured friend and the fact that their best hope for escape was gone.

Her still form was raised into a sitting position by Speedy. "She's going to be okay, just got knocked out." Her pale hand rested lifelessly on the floor. There would be no magic from that hand, no dark energy to whisk them away safe.

Swallowing back the panic, Robin pinned together a plan. He would get them through this; he had a dozen emergency escape routes figured out."Speedy, take Raven and go ahead of us. Route five."

Speedy slung the girl over his shoulder in a fireman's lift, which would mortify her when she found out about it later. "Uh, five?"

He rolled his eyes. He would have to be annoyed at the archer later, there was no time to spare. "Down the hall, first door on the left. Take the stairs and go out the passage in the basement."

"Gotcha. See you at the ship." Speedy gave a mock-salute with his free hand and dashed out of the room.

"And us?" Jinx asked.

"We're taking him." Picking up the net that held a snarling Gizmo, Robin noticed his birdarang was still stuck in the boy's mangled jetpack. He wrenched it out, and slid it carefully through a gap in the net and back into his utility belt. "We'll use route—" A black blur passed before Robin's eyes, striking him hard in the side and nearly knocking him off his feet. The netted villain fell from his grasp.

Before Robin could take a breath to replace the one that had been knocked from his lungs, he was socked in the eye, the air whooshing around him as his attacker sped away again.

The Titans took fighting stances. New figures emerged in the room from separate doors. They were of varying heights and builds—and one silhouette looked like a huge wolf—all shrouded in the dark like walking shadows.

Robin wasn't going to stick around to see their faces. He tossed down a smoke pellet that cracked by his feet. "Titans, go!"

Another rush of air to the left. His quick opponent was at the same disadvantage as him, neither of them could see the other in this haze, which was so thick that Robin could barely discern his own hand in front of his face. Robin was patient. He held out his bo-staff, listening. There were roars, growling, the harsh thuds of hand-to-hand combat. The whizzing of projectiles. The piercing chimes of Jinx's hexes. None of these were what he was searching for, so he tuned them out.

Something sharp missed Robin's ear by a hair's breadth; the sound it made as it sliced the air was familiar. So, he was here.

The Titans needed to leave, and fast. To do that they needed the speedster off his feet, or he'd pursue.

Robin's waiting paid off. The rushing air was headed towards him. As it neared, he stepped out of the way and swung his staff at knee level, sending the speedster flying. By the volume of the crash that followed, Robin judged that Kid Flash (it had to be him) would be out of the fight for a good couple minutes. He knew speedsters recovered quickly, so it could be less.

Without warning, his staff was yanked from his hands and jabbed into his gut, making him double over in pain. Only one person here could have snuck up on him like that, and it was the exact person he didn't want to see. Losing this fight was not an option. He dragged his staff—and the person holding onto it—back towards him with one hand, the other throwing a punch.

His fist never made connection; his opponent let go of the staff and spun away, laughing softly.

The next thing Robin knew he was being both tripped and shoved to the ground, a sharp impact against his knees making them buckle. He was so unbalanced that small but powerful hands forced him to the floor easily. But Robin had his bo-staff back. He threw it like a javelin at the dark figure standing above him in the smoke. Robin's opponent dodged, expecting this. What he didn't expect was Robin using that as a distraction for his next move: a jump-kick to the chest.

"Starfire!" Robin called as his fighting partner skidded across the floorboards. It was a codeword he used with his new team; a warning for them to cover their eyes. Hopefully they remembered—he didn't use the stun bombs often.

He threw the device in the air, shielding his face with his cape as it detonated in a burst of dazzling light. Bodies fell with heavy thuds around him.

The smoke was thinning. He could recognize the silhouettes of Beast Boy and Jinx—still standing. It was nice to know they listened. "Let's go!"

"What about Gizmo?" asked Beast Boy.

Robin couldn't imagine that a kid under three feet tall with no powers, no working gadgets at his disposal, and caught in a net, had gotten very far, but he already heard bodies stirring as their assailants began to awaken. There was no time to look. "We need to leave, now! Route two."

"Two?" Correction, they listened sometimes.

"Just follow me." He didn't bother to hide the irritation in his voice. Leading them to the door, he paused to throw a smoke pellet in the hallway to give them cover. Like he thought, someone was there waiting for them—arrows chased them as they ran down the hazy corridor, no doubt following the sound of their pounding footsteps.

On his right, Jinx turned and sent a wave of pink energy toward the source of the arrows. He heard a slam and a groan behind him as the archer hit the floor, making his conscience twinge. It was vital that the other team didn't get tangled up with the Titans, for both their sakes, but that didn't stop Robin from wishing he could go back and apologize.

They rounded a corner. "There!" Robin pointed at a window. He swiftly kicked out the pane of glass and jumped.

Where before it had felt like the wind was against him, now it worked with him. He didn't feel its chill as he spread his arms, letting it take him farther than he could have jumped on his own. It felt like flying.

Finally, something was on their side, even if it was just the wind. This night was a complete failure so far—both their targets escaped, they still didn't know Slade's plans, Raven was injured, and they'd been ambushed—but, at the very least, they got out.

Robin treated himself to these few airborne seconds of hope, of 'everything's going to be okay', until the flying gave way to falling and the metal-sheeted roof of the next warehouse rushed up to smack some reality back at him. He hit the ground running, the wind still at his back. He raced across the rooftops, down a fire escape, through the alleyways, hearing the reassuring sound of flapping wings from Beast Boy tailing him.

It wasn't until he ducked into a sheltered area between two buildings to catch his breath that he realized Beast Boy was the only person tailing him. They'd lost Jinx.

"She was right behind me at the window!" Beast Boy forced out between rattling gasps, peering over Robin's shoulder as the leader checked Jinx's location on his communicator. It marked her as being back at the scene of the fight. The blinking signal on the screen disappeared abruptly. Her communicator had been deactivated. "They must've got her, Robin. We need to go back."

Two of them versus an entire team they'd barely escaped from. Not a smart idea, and to get out of this they needed to play smart, because Jinx had done something incredibly stupid. "We can't."

"Are you crazy? She's in trouble! Since when do we just leave people behind?"

"You don't get it. She chose to get captured. We were in the clear—there was no way this could have happened unless she chose to turn back."

"What? But, why would she..." The realization seemed to sap whatever energy Beast Boy had left. He leaned his back against the brick wall and slid down to sit on the pavement, mirroring the same exhaustion Robin felt but refused to show. After a shared moment of silence, he moved his hand from his face and looked up at Robin. "You have a plan, right? Please tell me you have a plan. You always have a plan."

"I don't, yet. But I'll figure something out." They were going to get her back, whether she liked it or not.

oOo

 _—Outside Blüdhaven—_

It was awful how empty the jet felt, even with only one person missing.

Speedy and Raven were already there, waiting anxiously, when they showed up. They sullenly accepted Jinx's absence, neither very shocked. Had they all been expecting something like this, subconsciously?

Looking back, Robin knew it was a mistake to bring Jinx on this mission in the first place. If only—between all the preparations and planning—he had stopped to think about what she must be feeling. He assumed that, like him, she would push back any interfering emotions for the sake of the mission at hand. He assumed wrong.

It was a relief that Speedy and Raven got away safely, for the most part. The other team's archer shot Speedy in the arm during the escape, but he assured Robin that she didn't get a clear look at him.

Raven was awake and trying to tend to the injury. "Sit still. I'd like to fix this before you bleed all over the floor."

"It's just a flesh wound." The blood leaking down his arm didn't seem to bother him much as the green arrow he'd yanked out and was now scrutinizing, but he obliged. Raven's hands hovered over his wound, softly emitting white energy. Gradually, the torn skin mended itself and Speedy's badly hidden wince of pain lessened until it disappeared altogether. "You should have listened to me about Jinx, Robin. Once HIVE, always HIVE."

"She didn't go back to betray us to Gizmo, she has no loyalty to him or anyone HIVE. She went back to see Kid Flash." Robin locked eyes with Raven, a silent guilt passing between them. They both felt accountable for this, like they could have done more to help her, instead of brushing off her strange behavior. Neither of them guessed (or if they did, they hadn't wanted to admit) she'd do something so rash.

Speedy just shrugged and looked back down at the arrow in his hands. He cleaned it off with the towel Raven gave him to wipe the blood off his arm. "This arrow looks similar to one of GA's. That archer girl works for him." Appraisingly, he ran his thumb along the edge of the arrowhead, then added with careful indifference: "Mine never replaced me."

"Do you have any idea who she might be?" asked Robin.

"None. I didn't really see her. What did she look like, again?" Speedy directed this question at Raven and Beast Boy, who saw her the night before.

"Fifteen to sixteen, blonde," answered Raven. When Speedy waited expectantly for more details, she frowned and included, "It was dark, but I think she wore green."

"Know anyone like that with a connection to Green Arrow?" Robin inquired. At this point, any information about the other team might tip the scales.

Speedy shook his head. "He better not have a daughter here." He reached over his shoulder to stick the arrow in his quiver, no longer wanting it in his sight. Speedy was amassing quite a colourful collection, Robin noted. Yellow, red, and now green.

"What do you think you're doing?" Beast Boy asked accusingly. "You can't use that!"

"It's a perfectly good arrow."

"It's still got some of your blood on it! A) that's just gross, and B) dude, do the letters D-N-A mean anything to you?"

"More than they mean to you," the archer retorted, "at least I know what they stand for."

"One thing I do know is that if you use that arrow and they get ahold of it, then goodbye secrets!" He signified this by throwing his arms out in an exploding gesture.

Robin intervened. "Beast Boy's right—"

"Sorry, Robin, didn't hear you. Can you repeat that?" Beast Boy cupped a hand to his pointed ear. His cheekiness earned him a swat on the shoulder from Raven.

"—but, I think we're pretty much past the point of no return," Robin finished. "Just to be safe, Speedy, you better put that arrow in the stash."

Speedy made a big show of getting out of his chair, acting as though gravity had tripled, and trudged out of the control room with a tortured sigh.

As he left, Raven muttered something that sounded a lot like 'drama queen'. Her hood was down, showing how pinched and weary her face was. Faint worry lines were etched across her forehead.

"Are you sure you're okay, Raven?" Robin asked. "You got hit pretty hard."

"For the last time," she said with distinct annoyance, looking from Robin to Beast Boy, the latter of which had asked her that same question half a dozen times so far. "I'm fine. I'm not what you should be concerned about right now. They have Jinx, and a telepath."

Speedy ducked back into the room as Raven was talking, diving in the conversation without missing a beat. "One plus the other equals trouble for us."

Robin nodded. "She might be able to hold under interrogation for a while, but we have to act fast. Time to take some risks."

The atmosphere perked up at these words. Every night they played it safe, stayed hidden, ran away. None of these were what being a Titan was about. They were used to flashy entrances, daylight showdowns, and chasing villains through busy city streets. A forgotten excitement ignited in Robin's team. Legs were jittering. Hearts were racing.

A fanged grin lit up Beast Boy's face. "So you do have a plan?"

"Still working on it. First we need to know where they're taking her. Her communicator's been shut down, good thing we have another way to track her." Robin pushed a button on the console, bringing down the computer screen. He couldn't help his gaze flitting towards the signals still moving east on the map, one of which was Slade. They were getting closer. The signal they'd figured as Slade's had made a huge leap forward, and was moving fast. By this time tomorrow—sooner for Slade, definitely—they'd both be on the east coast. Not now, he told himself, rubbing his tired eyes with the heels of his hands. There were other, more pressing problems to deal with right now.

Jinx was leaving Blüdhaven at a speed that told Robin she was on a jet. It could only be the jet of their ambushers; the one Beast Boy always heard before the Titans were forced to run. She wasn't alone. There was another signal moving with her, which meant—

"They got Gizmo." Speedy voiced Robin's thoughts. "Has to be him, Mammoth got away."

Maybe the night could be salvaged. If they got Gizmo back at the same time as Jinx...

Robin's thoughts churned as he watched the signals move. The other team was League affiliated. Most of the members—Kid Flash, Aqualad, and the other Robin—were still sidekicks to Leaguers, from what they knew. Made sense that they would head to a League facility, and there was one such place directly in their path. Robin's plan fell into place.

It was a crazy plan, centered around one miscellaneous bit of intel Cyborg discovered. They would essentially be knocking at the League's door. Speedy might as well use that tainted arrow—after tonight (if the plan even worked, which was doubtful) the results of a DNA test would be redundant.

"I know where they're going, but we're making a stop over in Gotham first."

"Gotham?" asked Speedy. "Why Gotham, you homesick?"

"No." He smiled over at the puzzled archer. "We're going to need a distraction."


	7. Chapter 7

**.**

 **Chapter Seven**

 _—The Team: Robin—_

 _—Blüdhaven—_

For a while it seemed like Black Canary was never going to leave. She must've known they were up to something—most superheroes were suspicious by nature—and stuck around later than they expected. They'd done everything they could to make it seem like they were having an innocent movie-marathon night for the purposes of team bonding. Civilian clothes were worn, popcorn was popped, they even acted out a totally convincing fight over which movie to watch first.

Halfway into a plotless action movie, Canary finally left the Cave. The Team had been changed and on the bio-ship, the Cave systems hacked to keep their departure a secret, all before the zeta tube cooled behind her.

Plan A had been scrapped—with no time to set up a trap, the Team's only remaining option was to rush the place. Robin hadn't been a fan of the idea, because it meant playing by their terms, which usually didn't end so well.

And, sure enough, playing by their terms left Robin peeling himself off the sticky floor, blinking stars out of his eyes. If only Black Canary had left ten minutes earlier, just ten minutes.

Ribs aching, he got to his feet. Red Arrow was right; the guy with the staff was the leader, the one shouting commands. Was he a meta-human? Robin doubted it. The smoke pellets, the stun bomb, the way he fought—it all reminded Robin of himself, and Batman. No evidence of superpowers. That didn't make the leader any less of a threat. If anything, it made Robin more determined to apprehend the Titans. He wanted to find out who kicked him to the ground, and return the favor.

The other members of his team were awake; the air in this room was almost free of smoke except for a few wispy patches, and he could see them beginning to sit up. This was enough affirmation for him—they clearly weren't in any critical condition. Maybe he could catch up with the Titans.

He dashed into the hallway in a way his teammates might call 'ninja' but he just considered expedient, and was forced to skid to a stop to avoid stepping on Artemis. It was so hazy here that he didn't see her until she was almost underfoot. He briefly considered rushing past her, but she was a bit too still for his liking. "Artemis?" He nudged her shoulder urgently.

Her eyes flew open and in a heartbeat she was on her feet, with an arrow notched and a scowl on her face. "They went this way." She gestured with her bow.

"What happened to you?" he asked as they ran down the corridor.

"Got hit."

"Evidently. With what?"

A razor-sharp wave of pink energy sliced through the smoke, headed straight towards them. Robin and Artemis dodged, throwing themselves against opposite walls.

"That."

More energy whizzed past them, clearing away the smoke like a draft. By the orange-tinted glow of the street lamps spilling through a broken window, Robin could somewhat see their attacker. She was a teenage girl, a bit on the small side. Neither fact stopped him from throwing a birdarang with precision. A shard of pink light from her right hand shattered it mid-flight, while light from her left hand took care of Artemis's arrow.

Their attacker advanced slowly. Scratch that, she was strolling. Closer, Robin could see that her eyes glowed the same pink as the energy she controlled. The glowing eyes located him. "Robin. But I have no idea who you are," she was looking at Artemis now, who let fly another arrow. It was incinerated easily. "Nice try. Where's the rest of your team?" Her tone wasn't threatening, it was almost friendly. Robin wasn't fooled.

"And you are?" he asked, surreptitiously reaching for another birdarang.

"Jinx." Weird, it didn't ring a bell.

"Of the Titans, right?"

The light in her eyes flickered. "You know?" Her voice held a note of concern.

"Your leader shouted it out earlier. He's not exactly subtle."

Her laughter rang in the enclosed space. It wasn't that funny. "You have a point, I should really tell..."

"Tell who, exactly?" Robin asked innocently, bending his elbow at just the right angle under his cape so he could—

"No you don't!" The laugh became a growl as she knocked away the second birdarang with a wave of energy. In the time this took, Robin covered the distance between them. Jinx flipped into the air to avoid his punch. He grabbed her ankle mid-air and tugged her down; flinging her to the floor.

Like a cat, she twisted to land softly on her feet a safe distance away from him. More of Artemis's arrows were deflected by pink energy.

Stalemate. The weak beam of light passing through the window and slanting across the floor marked a clear line between her and them.

Robin was contemplating using explosives. Jinx would hit them and set them off before they reached her, but she'd still get caught in the blast. The problem was, in these close quarters, so would he and Artemis.

He didn't need to chance it, because Aqualad arrived at his side. He could tell it was Aqualad—without turning to look, because it would be careless of him to turn his back to Jinx for even a fraction of a second—by the muffled footsteps the Atlantean's bare feet made. About time. What was keeping the rest of the team?

Rather than adopting a tense battle pose like the three of them, Aqualad placed his water bearers in the sheathes on his back and held his hands out in a pacifying gesture. "Please—we only wish to speak with you, not to fight."

She regarded the leader for a moment before settling on a name. "...Aqualad?"

"Yes."

"Well, Aqualad... Unlucky for you, that's one wish that won't be granted." She took a small step forward and held her arms straight out, palms facing them as though intending to push them back. "Now, if you know what's good for you, you'll get out of my way." And she was no longer friendly; no longer laughing. She raised her arms higher, about to cast more energy at them.

Aqualad struck before she could, his water bearers swiftly reappearing in his hands as he send a torrent of water at Jinx. She let out a cry of panic as the liquid coiled around her waist and arms, and lifted her off the ground. Struggling, her eyes glowed brighter as she tried to slice the water apart with energy to no avail.

She managed to free one hand and pitch a few waves of pink light at them, but her aim was erratic. Instead of hitting them, the energy bounced off the walls, cracking drywall wherever it touched.

It was clear she wasn't going to give up fighting. Aqualad seemed to understand this, the line of his mouth tightened in unhappy concentration as ribbons of electricity coursed from his arms through the water, making Jinx twitch and shudder as the voltage hit her body. When she went limp, Aqualad let her drop. They waited. She didn't move.

Approaching her cautiously, Robin confirmed she was unconscious. Her soaked hair was her signature pink; her skin unnaturally ashen. Definitely meta-human. There weren't any hidden pockets in the violet fabric of her bodysuit that could be concealing weapons, he supposed with her powers she didn't need any. On her yellow belt—a fine choice, he really had to commend her on that—he spotted something of interest.

"A communicator," said Aqualad as Robin held it up for him to see. Like Jinx's belt, it was a bright yellow. Round and sturdy, it seemed completely unaffected from being submerged in water. Emblazoned on the front was a thick, white 'T' on a black background.

"T is for Titans," Artemis remarked.

A small light blinked on the device. It was active. Robin could make contact with the other team, arrange a deal: The girl in exchange for some information.

After hearing Robin's plan, Aqualad shook his head. "That is too much of a risk. I am beginning to believe it was a mistake to come here—we will take them to the League, who will proceed as they see fit. Deactivate it, we do not want to give her allies any means to track us."

Robin did as he was ordered, but one word struck him. "You said them."

oOo

"Let go of me, you crud-brain!"

Superboy was holding the net, glaring at the kid inside. Compared to boy of steel, he looked like an insect—a struggling, olive green-wearing insect caught in a net. The kid had a backpack that may have once been a piece of advanced gadgetry, but at the moment was badly damaged.

The room that had been the scene of the big fight was now totally smoke-free. Gouges from claws scarring the floor and smashed crates (Kid Flash took responsibility for most of those, claiming he had the splinters to prove it.) remained as evidence that they'd done battle with the elusive Titans here. More than that, they also had two suspects to question; a more promising lead than they'd ever had.

"Be quiet," said Superboy. Something about Superboy's piercing gaze made the kid gape speechlessly. Or maybe the logo on the clone's t-shirt made him realize who he was dealing with.

The kid let out a squeak—the expression of horror on his face apparent even in the semi-darkness blanketing the room—and raised an arm to point weakly at the Kryptonian, then slumped over, passing out in fear.

Robin couldn't help but laugh. "Who needs heat vision?"

Superboy looked rather embarrassed, his shoulders hunching ever-so-slightly in a sheepish manner. He quickly let go of the net and dropped the kid next to their other captive, then backed away, pretending like it hadn't happened.

"I tried to get some information from him while you three were gone," Miss Martian was explaining, using her telepathic mind link to keep their conversation secret from the outsiders (who were now both unconscious, but one could never know for sure), "but his mind's a mess. It just made me dizzy." The volume of their mind link was fluctuating wildly as a result; her last few words came out in a screech that made them all wince. "Sorry! I think I've got it back to normal now."

"Try her mind." Robin pointed to where Jinx was sitting propped up against an intact crate, handcuffed and still unresponsive. "She'll know more than him, she's actually part of the Titans." The boy they caught had just been the Titans' target, hence the net.

"Not now—there is no time, her team may come back for her. We must call the League and meet them at Mount Justice. We cannot handle this ourselves." Aqualad was still pushing this, but Robin could see the rest of the team wasn't too happy. Their leader could very well have a mutiny on his hands.

"Come on, Kaldur. We can totally handle this," said Kid Flash, picking a splinter out of his elbow.

Superboy chose a side."We can't call the League, they'll just be mad we're not playing by their rules. It's not fair. It's not like they were going to do anything!"

"Hate to admit it, but they're going to find out eventually," Artemis reasoned. Though she was staying neutral, Robin had her pegged as anti-League if it came to a vote. She was rubbing her neck in a way that meant it was sore, and he was sure she'd like to get even with Jinx for that.

"Yes, we all know they're going to find out," Robin agreed, not without exasperation, "but right now's a bad time. Listen, the only one who knows anything about this situation is Batman; he's the one who organizes our missions. So, we call the League, they'll inevitably call Batman to deal with us. And tonight he's on a serious stakeout." So serious that he hadn't let Robin go with him, which was convenient, but still stung. "He'll be disappointed—heavy on the 'dis'—if that gets interrupted."

"Well, maybe we could take them to the mountain until Batman's not busy, and then call him?" offered Miss Martian with a shrug, trying to come to a compromise.

"That works," Superboy decided for them. "That way we'll get to interrogate them. We did all this to find out who the Titans are and what they're up to. We can't just chicken out now."

Kid Flash nodded. "And hey, if we get enough info, Bats won't be so mad. Hopefully."

"I would prefer if we had some support," stressed Aqualad. "The League..."

The problem wasn't that Aqualad wanted to call the League —okay, that was a good chunk of it—the problem was that he wasn't taking command the way he was supposed to. It was India all over again. If he was questioning his own decisions, then heck yes the team was going to pick up on it and question him, too.

If he planted his feet like they needed of him, if he told them outright what to do, they would listen. But he wasn't. He was letting them walk all over him.

"But Mount Justice has all kinds of security," said Kid Flash impatiently, "especially since the Reds. We'll be safe there."

An idea came to Robin at the word 'red'. "We can call Red Arrow! He told us he'll back us up if we need it." It was the perfect solution.

"I am not certain—"

"Sheesh, Kaldur," said Robin. "If you're really that worried about getting in trouble with Batman, we'll take the fall. We'll tell him this was all our fault, and you only came along to make sure we didn't do anything stupid."

"It is not Batman's displeasure I worry about," he replied gravely.

"Kaldur, what's wrong?" asked Miss Martian with concern, floating closer to him.

Kaldur flinched. "I just... I do not want anything bad to happen. They defeated us so easily, it seemed."

It wasn't his own neck he was trying to save, it was all of theirs. All around, the heroes fidgeted guiltily. Robin regretted his harsh words, he wished he could take them back. But that was the thing about words, once you said them you couldn't take them back. None of them could take back the critical things they said to Aqualad, and Aqualad couldn't take back that he'd alluded to the exercise—that one forbidden topic. All of a sudden, Robin noticed how cold it was in the room. A single unboarded window and a sizeable hole in the wall let in plenty of icy air from outdoors.

The trauma from that disaster of a training exercise, the self-esteem it had taken from each of them—it all left a mark, like a bruise, that smarted even when broached indirectly like this.

The really scary thing? Aqualad was right. None of them would admit it, Robin included. The simulation had made the idea of defeat less tangible somehow, unreal and unacceptable. Failure was confined to that virtual reality, where they watched each other die. It couldn't exist here, they couldn't fail, because it would mean going back to that dark place.

They resorted to denial, indignation, reassurance—anything and everything to snap their leader out of it, to keep him from dredging up those memories they all tried so hard to mashed together in the mind link. They tripped over each others' sentences, creating a jumbled wall of noise.

"No, they just caught us by surprise, that's all."

"You saw how they ran away, didn't you?"

"That flash trick won't work a second time."

"They know they can't beat us in a fair fight."

Miss Martian waited for the others to quiet before she spoke, placing a hand on Kaldur's arm and looking him directly in the eyes. "We have confidence in you, Kaldur. We need you to have confidence in us, too. We can handle this."

"If it seems that we aren't able to keep control of the situation—"

"Then we'll call the League. That's a promise." When Robin made promises, he meant them.

"Very well. Miss Martian, can you try using telepathy to make them sleep until we arrive at the Cave? We do not want them to deduce where we are taking them. I will contact Red Arrow on the ship and request for him to meet us. We may have the mystery of the Titans solved before the night is out."

It wasn't a victory. That bruise was still there, they'd all only succeeded in hiding it longer, hoping it would go away on its own. But right now they were just happy their leader was back to normal, and let out a silent, collective sigh of relief before following his orders gladly. Back to business.

"Rob, did you check her for weapons and tracers?" Kid Flash was crouched next to Jinx. The girl had been stirring, on the verge of awakening, during the argument. Miss Martian's telepathically-induced sleep had her still once more.

"Yes."

"Dude, I can't believe you fought—and frisked—her without me," he said in a low voice, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Miss Martian and Artemis weren't listening. "She's the hottest bad guy we've faced, by far."

She was pretty enough, but something about her bright hair and overly pale skin made Robin shudder inwardly. Maybe he was just biased because of his many unpleasant run-ins with the Joker. "Give it up, KF. She's the bad guy. What're you going to do, convert her?" he joked lightly.

"She might not be bad. The Titans could be 'rogue heroes', remember?"

"Seemed pretty bad when she attacked me and Artemis. She knew who I was, KF, and attacked anyway. Prognosis: bad."

Speedsters had short attention spans—Kid Flash was on the other side of the room before Robin finished talking. Wolf had the Titans' leader's bo-staff in his jaws, like a dog with a stick, and Kid Flash was begging Superboy to give it to him so he could add it to his souvenir collection.

"Please?" Kid Flash reached for the metal staff cautiously, as Wolf growled and glared at him with yellow eyes. Valuing his fingers, Kid Flash pulled his hand back. "Supey, make him let go! Please?"

"Fine. Wolf, give." Obediently, the chemically-enhanced pet dropped the bo-staff in Superboy's waiting hand. As soon as the staff was out of Wolf's teeth it was snatched by Kid Flash.

"Sweet!" He tested a button on the side, making it collapse into a short tube. "This is so awesome." He excitedly pressed the button multiple more times. Extend, retract. Extend, retract.

Kid Flash wasn't the only one intrigued by the weapon. "Hey, KF. Wanna trade?" Robin held up the deactivated communicator enticingly, slowly waving it back and forth. "It's your favourite colour," he added in a sing-song voice, since it was too dark for his best friend to tell it was yellow.

"Hmm." He looked from the staff, to the communicator, to the staff, to the communicator. "All right. But only because it's you, Rob." They tossed each other their souvenirs.

Wally was right, it was an awesome weapon. Some kind of specially designed steel alloy; lightweight yet strong. It felt perfectly balanced in Robin's hands. He gave it an experimental twirl.

Whoever the Titans' leader was, he had good taste. In weapons, at least—the communicator was a bit tacky.

oOo

 _—Teen Titans: Jinx—_

 _—Location: Uncertain—_

Cold water yanked Jinx awake so abruptly that she nearly gave herself whiplash. Her tongue felt burnt, and there was a taste of something metallic and bitter. Coppery; like pennies. The world was a blur—she couldn't focus her eyes. What happened?

Slowly, her memory returned. There had been a fight, electricity. She shook her head, trying to move the wet strands of hair from her eyes. The fog seemed to lift, and she could now see that she was in a stark, white room. Tied to a chair, soaking wet, and freezing. Lovely.

She never meant to get captured. All she'd wanted was to see Wally—just one glimpse—then get away. Instead she had panicked and then things got so out of control... Villainous habits were hard to break. She should've been able to take down this team easily. Where the heck did this Aqualad get electricity powers from?

Robin was going to be furious at her.

"Sorry 'bout that. We didn't have a choice, you weren't waking up. And we have a few questions we'd like to ask." It was Robin, the other Robin, holding an empty bucket and giving her some kind of sly glare that was supposed to be intimidating but made her want to laugh. He was so young and skinny—just a boy.

There were six others in the room with her; a colourfully dressed bunch with crossed arms and stern expressions, but at the moment she didn't really care about five of them because he was there, right beside Robin, so close that Jinx could almost reach out and touch him if her arms weren't bound.

She wanted to call out his name, except she couldn't find her voice. She couldn't do anything but gape.

Alive, Wally was alive, and he was whole and real and just standing there like he didn't realize how much of a miracle that was; like he didn't realize how long she'd been searching for him.

He looked exactly as she remembered. His uniform was the same obnoxious combination of yellow and scarlet, his red hair the same tangled, wind-swept mess it always was (But, what was with those silly goggles perched on his forehead? Those weren't supposed to be there...), and on his cheeks she could see a couple freckles peeking out from underneath his mask. She'd always tried to count the freckles on his face, but the boy never stayed still long enough.

Jinx must have been staring. "Do you two know each other?" asked the young Robin curiously, looking from one to the other.

As Wally's gaze locked with hers, the answer came to Jinx. "No. No, we don't." Because those eyes in that familiar mask—those eyes looking back at her, narrow with suspicion—were not her Wally's eyes. They were all wrong: a bright, harsh green. This had to be a sick joke.

The grin he gave her was the playful, flirting-with-the-enemy type. She could tell he was unsettled by her. "Yeah, I think I would remember you, beautiful."

He might as well have slapped her.

Even though he was the same as her Kid Flash in so many ways, he was different by the same amount. All the little things she loved about Wally, the tiny details only she noticed, weren't there. This was a stranger wearing his skin. There was something about those eyes... they made him a completely different person.

Her Wally had blue eyes. He was trusting and open, maybe more than he should be. He was never afraid to say exactly what he was feeling; frank and unembarrassed. This Wally seemed guarded, somehow.

Then she realized the problem with this picture. This Kid Flash flirted with her like she was the enemy. Wally had never, ever done that. She had once been ready and willing to hand him over to the cruelest woman on the face of the planet, but despite that he hadn't considered Jinx his enemy—not for a second.

Stupid. Stupid. So stupid. She'd been asking for it; she had no one to blame but herself for getting her hopes so high, only to have the strings slashed and end up plummeting back to harsh, cold, jagged truth. It was like losing him all over again. If it weren't for the ropes holding her upright in the chair she would sag down to the floor and curl up into a ball. She didn't know who she was more upset with: herself for being such a fool, or him for not being who he was supposed to be.

But no, she would give it one last try, one last chance to make this work. It could still work, right? This situation was familiar, except the tables were turned—this time, she was the one captured by his team. What if she could make past events repeat themselves?

"Looks like you got me," she said amiably.

The one who responded wasn't Wally, it was some blonde girl wearing the same awful green as his eyes. Who asked her? "Yes, we do. And you're not going anywhere until you tell us about the Titans."

Jinx had no doubt she could break free of the ropes and handcuffs and smash that girl's smug, masked face into the concrete floor with little effort, but then she'd have to answer to the alternate Aqualad standing in her path to the door. She didn't have enough energy in her for a brawl, and getting electrocuted again was not on her to-do list.

"What do you want to know?"

This caught them off-guard. They looked at each other, uncertain who should speak. Finally the team's other girl spoke up. She was some kind of green-skinned alien with dark red hair and a long blue cape, reminding Jinx of a bizarre combination of Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy. "Who are they?" she asked, not too brightly.

"Who are the Teen Titans? They're the Teen Titans, duh."

"Teen Titans?" The alternate Robin grinned. Crap, she shouldn't have let that slip. At least it was trivial information. "That's great, but we're gonna need you to elaborate."

"Not going to happen."

"You won't reveal the identity of your leader?"

"No."

"So you're not going to tell us what you've been up to on the east coast?"

"No."

"You won't give an explanation for the evidence we found, that suggests a member of your team is pretending to be Speedy?"

"No."

"Or why you and others are giving off a strange energy signal?"

She wanted to scream that it was from traveling through an inter-dimensional portal, just to see their dumbstruck reactions. "No."

"You mean you won't tell us what you were doing in Blüdhaven, when we tracked your energy signals there tonight?" He faked a pout, not taking this seriously at all. They both knew these questions were a farce.

"No." They were tracking the Titans? Her Robin wouldn't be happy to hear that.

"And you refuse to explain how Beast Boy of the Doom Patrol is somehow on your team, when we've gotten confirmation he's not even in this hemisphere?"

That one must have been driving him crazy, if he was anything like the Robin she knew. "No. I mean... yes. I do refuse." Her face flushed with irritation as he laughed.

Jinx knew what Robin was doing. He was trying to scare her with the information they'd gathered to make her think they were onto the Titans. These people had absolutely no clue.

She gave an annoyed huff. How were she and Wally supposed to connect like before if she wasn't even getting to talk to him?

Robin held his hands up in mock defeat. "Well, it looks like I've done everything I can." Under different conditions, Jinx might like this kid. He seemed a lighter, more fun version of her leader. It was refreshing.

The floor was handed to Aqualad. With those gills, that's the only person he could be. It was strange how he was the polar opposite in appearance of the Aqualad she knew. Short blonde hair instead of long and dark, dark skin instead of light, light eyes instead of dark. He wore red instead of blue, which surprised her. She would've guessed blue and Aqualads went together like capes and Robins. "You may want to reconsider. We are giving you one chance to tell us everything about the Titans."

"Or what?"

"Or we infiltrate your mind and take the information ourselves."

"Ooh, I'm so scared," she deadpanned.

"It doesn't have to come to that, if you're cooperative like your friend," said Wally. "He already told us plenty, we just want to know more." Wally could never get away with lying to her—his tell was a small nose-twitch that she could spot a mile away. Whoever he was talking about hadn't told them a thing.

"Friend? What friend?" Beast Boy? Speedy? Definitely not Robin, or they'd be so freaked out that they wouldn't bother with her. Oh god, it was all her fault if the other Titans had gotten caught.

Blondie shrugged. "Short kid, nasty mouth."

Relieved, she let herself breathe. Gizmo. They didn't know how to make him talk; he had absolutely zero respect for the good guys. Only Raven could scare information out of him. This team had a telepath, so either telepathic invasion hadn't worked or they hadn't tried it yet. (She was leaning toward the former. Maybe the whole unstable-portal-amnesia made his mind too muddled to read? She sincerely hoped so.)

"Wait." Jinx looked around the blank, empty room. "Where is he? You didn't—"

"What do you take us for, monsters?" asked Wally, aghast. "He's fine, but locked up."

"Of course, because you're a good guy, right?" She chewed her lip, watching him expectantly.

'One of the best.'

"Uh, yeah?" He looked pointedly at the lightning-bolt logo on his chest. "Thought that was obvious."

She wanted to shake him, to grab him by the shoulders and rattle some sense into him until he remembered her, and said what he was supposed to, and his eyes turned back to blue, and he stopped acting so wrong. Jinx didn't consider herself the type of girl who waited around to be rescued, but right now she really wished the Titans would show up and take her as far away from here as possible so she wouldn't have to look at him anymore.

"Now, are we going to have to do this the easy way or the hard way?" demanded the Superboy.

If Jinx had been wrong to run back, wrong to disobey Robin, and wrong to mistake this Wally for hers, maybe she could get the Titans to forgive her by keeping their secrets safe.

She answered with a smirk. It took a lot of effort to pull off that smirk, since her eyes were half-full of tears. None of them noticed, since her hair was soaking wet from that unpleasant wake-up call and the water running down her face hid it quite effectively. (Well, thank goodness for small miracles...)

Aqualad turned to the alien girl, and she floated forward hesitantly. "Miss Martian, you may proceed."

Nobody was prying into Jinx's mind, nobody. The HAEYP had trained her how to repel good-guy telepaths. The trick was bad memories, the feelings associated with them. Those heroes could have such soft hearts, especially the inexperienced ones, and it was obvious that this doe-eyed alien was green in more than her complexion.

Gloved fingertips rested lightly against Jinx's temples. She clenched her eyes shut, summoning her worst memory and wrapping the feelings around her mind like a shield.

She awoke on the gritty concrete, the smoke and dust turning every breath into a wracking cough. Even though her body should be aching from the explosion, she was numb except for the ghosts of his hands against her shoulders from when he'd shoved her away.

No. No, no, no, no, no. How could she let this happen? They'd faced the villain before; she should have known better than to fall for those tricks.

Gravity put up a fight, but she fought back and soon she was staggering over the rubble. The explosion that had leveled half the building also carved out a large chunk of the riverbank - cement, bricks, metal and mud had all slid like an avalanche into the murky water. She knelt on the new brink, her head beginning to throb.

Where was he? He got hurt in the fight, she needed to find him.

The rain was so heavy and the smoke so thick that the vibrant lights of downtown across the channel were just a smear of colours, like an oil painting.

She was alone and the rushing water below was so, so dark.

A choking gasp—Jinx didn't know if it was hers or the alien's—broke the memory.

The alien girl was sobbing into the black fabric of the Superboy's shoulder. "What did you do to her?" Superboy growled at Jinx.

"Nothing. She should've stayed out of my mind. They can be scary places, you know." Jinx tried to stop herself shaking, tried to keep her voice brave.

"Gone," Miss Martian sobbed. "He's g-gone."

"Who?" asked Aqualad with alarm.

She separated herself from the Superboy, wiping her eyes on the back of her glove. The feelings Jinx assaulted her with seemed to be dissipating already. Her tears stopped flowing and she gave a hiccup. "I... I don't know." She glanced up at the Superboy. "I thought it was..."

"Everything's okay," Wally assured. "It was just a dirty trick she played on you." The accusing look he gave Jinx nearly devastated her. What had she been thinking, trying to replace her Wally with this sour counterpart?

"Did you find anything, Miss M?" questioned Robin.

"N-no... I couldn't, she..."

"We're not making her try that again," asserted Superboy, glaring around at anyone who might disagree.

Aqualad shook his head. "No, we will not. But now we have a problem," he spoke softly and urgently to just his teammates, but Jinx could still hear, "how will we get the information we require?"

"You can't, can you?" Jinx asked. "You're the good guys, you can't hurt me." Even if they did, she probably wouldn't feel it—which sounded so depressing when she thought it. She knew she was being inflicted by a torture of her own making. She wanted to see Wally so badly? Well, she was seeing him. And each time her eyes darted over to him, she was rewarded with the same gut-wrenching stab of realization. This Wally would never be hers.

"I guess we'll just have to be a little more insistent." The young Robin's face held a serious frown that Jinx knew all too well. Playtime was over.


	8. Chapter 8

**.**

 **Chapter Eight**

 _—Teen Titans: Beast Boy—_

 _—Outside Happy Harbor—_

"So, they left you behind?"

Beast Boy gave Aqualad a dirty look, and, when he spoke to his friend from a whole universe away on the computer screen, his tone was peevish. "Dude, I'm guarding the ship. Do you know how important that is? If the ship goes, we're doomed."

They wouldn't have a place to live, a way to travel, a computer, any food or supplies... They wouldn't even have a way to correspond with their home dimension, since all communications were centered through the vessel. Totally doomed.

It was a lame job, though. They'd landed the jet in some quiet, secluded woods outside of the town. Watching leaves fall had gotten old fast, so Beast Boy eventually decided to call up Titans Tower. It wasn't like he was neglecting his duty—he could still see a bit of boring trees through the windows that weren't covered by the computer screen.

"So, they left you behind." The dark-haired Atlantean shook his head and made a tsk noise.

"Yeah," Beast Boy admitted, the heel of his hand digging into his cheek's side as he leaned his elbow heavily against the console. "At least I get to sit in Robin's chair." He bounced up and down in his seat, testing the cushioning. He could swear the pilot's chair had more than the others. "Hey, where's Cyborg?" It had been a while since he actually had the chance to talk to him about something other than the mission. Beast Boy missed him. Everyone here was so serious all the time—would it kill them to lighten up once in a while? Well, maybe not right now; Beast Boy knew this situation was serious. But in general.

"On a mission with the rest of the team. Mumbo got out of prison and into a zoo; there's elephants everywhere."

"I guess you're not one to talk, then." Beast Boy swiveled side-to-side idly. He really liked this chair.

Aqualad crossed his arms defensively and stuck up his chin. "This is different."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I only got left behind because we flipped a coin. I always lose coin tosses against the twins, and Bumblebee refuses to believe that they cheat."

Beast Boy wasn't paying attention. He didn't call up Titans Tower to listen to Aqualad gripe. "I should go clean up the kitchen; Raven's been bugging me about it all day."

True, it was a total sticky, saucy mess from his attempt at spaghetti the night before, but it wasn't his fault. The reason the pasta had boiled over—and the tomato sauce overheated and exploded—was because Cyborg's report about Slade had whisked him from the kitchen in the middle of cooking. No one could blame him for getting a little distracted when faced with the worst news in the history of, well, forever.

Aqualad eyed him reproachfully. "So, I'm sitting out on a mission to provide technical support for you, and you're just going to sign off?"

"Uh, yes? You got a problem with that?"

"This is so unfair."

"You don't even know unfair! You're at the Tower, with a huge TV and a bazillion channels, and I'm stuck on a tiny plane doing chores. Now that is unfair, dude. And it's not like my team is just taking down Mumbo. No, they're breaking into Mount Justice! Way awesome-er."

"Do you realize that, if they all get caught, you're the one who's going to have to negotiate with the League and bail them out?"

Beast Boy balked at the thought, but rallied quickly and slapped on a toothy grin. "Best one for the job! Why else do you think Robin left me behind? I'm a people person."

...They'd better not get caught.

oOo

 _—The Team: Robin—_

 _—Mount Justice—_

When the Titans headed to Gotham, Robin grinned. They weren't anywhere near Mount Justice, the situation was still under control. Aqualad wouldn't call the League yet. At the speed their signals were moving, he deduced they were traveling by jet—a fast one.

With satisfaction, Robin imagined how frustrated and frantic the Titans must be. The tables were turned; now they were the ones forced to try and figure out the Team—who had left behind even fewer clues than the Titans usually did—all while the Team was this close to finding out all the Titans' secrets.

The Team was causing the Titans strife, rather than the other way around.

Ha! Served them right.

He continued keeping one watchful eye on the screen of his holo-computer, though—just in case.

oOo

When the Titans left a member behind in Gotham, Robin was intrigued. He asked Jinx what business her teammate had there.

"I don't know," she groused. But there was a small, hopeful smile toying at the corners of her lips, and she sat up a little straighter in her bindings. "Could be anything—sight-seeing, grabbing a late dinner, catching a movie... Making a phone call, perhaps?"

She still wasn't cooperating. Shouted demands made her yawn, mind tricks didn't faze her, she scoffed at any deals they tried to break, and, whenever they threatened to bring in the League, she coolly called their bluff—and she did it all with an air of downcast exhaustion. She wasn't scared of them; it seemed like she all she wanted was to curl up somewhere dark and fall asleep.

"If she's so determined to keep her mouth shut, we could question that other kid," suggested Artemis. The rude boy in the net that they'd brought to Mount Justice along with Jinx was being kept in a small, plain interrogation room exactly like this across the hall, at the moment caught under the spell of Miss Martian's telepathic sleep, until they felt like switching suspects. The door was triple-bolted and Superboy was keeping an ear out for the sounds of him waking up or trying to escape. "He might be able to tell us something."

"But she knows—she knows everything!" protested Robin. "It's only been what, fifteen minutes? Not even? These things take time."

"He won't be any more cooperative than her," stated Superboy bluntly.

Luckily, Kid Flash was always eager to elaborate. "Yeah; we tried talking to him when Aqualad went looking for you two, and it didn't go too great."

Miss Martian nodded. "All he did was call us names. I've never heard insults like them before. What's a kludge-head, exactly?" She looked at Robin, the Team's go-to for answers to questions of all types, as her head titled to the side quizzically.

"It's a—" Robin paused, contemplative for a moment. He shrugged, the action making his cape ripple."I don't know... Not something nice."

Their leader considered Artemis's idea, arms crossed as he weighed the pros and cons. Now that Aqualad was once more onboard with the Titans mission, he seemed determined to be the perfect leader, treating each decision with the utmost seriousness. "It would be disadvantageous if we spent time and effort on a possible dead end. Artemis, if you wish, you may go question him while we continue here."

She wrinkled her nose. "No thanks." None of them wanted to. From what they'd seen in Blüdhaven, he was an unpleasant kid. At least Jinx was civil—moping, but civil. "I'd rather keep an eye on her."

oOo

When the Titans began traveling in the general direction of Happy Harbor, Robin debated telling the others. He debated it longer than he probably should have, worried they'd have a repeat of Blüdhaven's argument, but ultimately he did notify Kaldur.

"How is it they know where to look for us?" asked Aqualad. "We checked for tracking devices, and, since they went to Gotham City first, they could not have followed us here."

"And we were in camouflage mode the entire time," added Miss Martian. "It's not foolproof, I know, but it would have been very difficult for them to follow the bio-ship."

"I know you're talking telepathically," announced Jinx sulkily, watching them gesture wordlessly at each other as they conversed. When they all ignored her, she shut her eyes and let out a deep breath through her nose, as though willing herself anywhere else.

Superboy looked down at Robin. "Could they be tracking her energy signal, too?"

The Boy Wonder pulled a doubtful face. "To do that, they'd need a really powerful satellite... as powerful as the League's. And it's impossible to hack the League's satellite without their noticing."

"You did it," Superboy reminded him.

"Yeah, but I know most of the League's software inside-out. An outsider wouldn't be able to do it without triggering all kinds of alarms."

"One of them could have some kind of telepathic-tracking ability," offered Miss Martian, but, even as she said it, she looked unconvinced. "I thought I would sense something like that, though..."

"In any case, this is troubling. We should..." Five pairs of eyes warned Aqualad not to finish that sentence.

"We've made it this far already," said Kid Flash. "Might as well see it through."

Aqualad relented, if only because he seemed tired of making the same stale point over and over. He placed a heavy hand on Robin's shoulder and leaned in slightly as though to say his next words confidentially—all for show, because with the mind link everyone could hear. "You will... tell me, if they land in the vicinity of the mountain? That is to say, you will tell me immediately rather than keep it to yourself for several minutes, as you just did?"

Busted. Robin smiled apologetically and flushed as he felt the annoyed glares directed at him from the teammates he'd kept in the dark. "Of course."

oOo

When the Titans stopped on the outskirts of Happy Harbor, mere miles from Mount Justice, Robin was willing to admit there was a problem.

A problem? Yes. One they couldn't handle? Not necessarily.

"I'm sending their coordinates to Red Arrow so he can check it out He's nearby," said Robin, interrupting Aqualad and Artemis's good-cop-bad-cop routine. Initially, Kid Flash had been the good cop, but Kaldur had stepped in when things turned sour. Kid Flash and Artemis had, predictably, moved against each other ("Artemis, you're supposed to build up to the shouting. Start with insults; circle around the room a bit. That's how they do it on TV." "Whatever, Kid Idiot. This would work if you stopped criticizing me and did your part of getting her to trust you."), which—while entertaining—hadn't resulted in much information from their suspect.

When the team called Red Arrow earlier, he hadn't been near any zeta tubes. It was faster for him to drive straight to Mount Justice, which was what he was doing. At the moment he was by the outskirts of Happy Harbor, no more than a couple minutes from the Titans' signals.

"They won't try a rescue," Robin explained. "They know they can't. The mountain's defenses are too strong. This may be an 'abandoned' League facility, but it's still the JLA's property; for all they know, half of the League is in here. They'd have to be completely stupid to try anything. You know what?" He beamed. "Let them try! If they want to start being 'creet' instead of discreet, fine by me! They'll just be revealing themselves—giving us more information." Like the identity of their leader.

Kid Flash, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, matched Robin's confident smile. "If they want to play, we'll play."

Looking from one boy to the other with troubled, pale-green eyes, Aqualad spoke out loud with a quiet emphasis that was hard to convey telepathically. "This is not a game."

"We know, Aqualad," Robin assured him seriously, waving away his concern. "It's just a figure of speech." They weren't treating this like a game. They weren't.

Kid Flash continued trying to sway Aqualad to their side. "We don't need to call the League. They reinforced security since the Reds—if the Titans set foot anywhere near here, the alarms will go off and the League will show up anyway."

"We overestimated the mountain's defenses once before," said Aqualad, "and it nearly cost us all our lives." All around, faces darkened at the memory. Except one.

"You think the Titans will try to kill you?" asked Jinx incredulously. "Please, that's not our style. We'll beat you up, knock you out, but never kill. What do you take us for, monsters?"

"Does she really think she's going to make us let our guard down?" Artemis asked sharply.

Jinx, sensing their trepidation, rolled her pink cat-eyes and elaborated with an air of weariness: "If we wanted to kill, we would have gotten rid of you in Blüdhaven when you were lying defenseless on the floor. If we wanted to kill, we would have taken out your friend Speedy or Red Arrow or whatever his name is, when we brought him down in New York. If we wanted to kill, I would do this—" Her eyes glowed and the ropes binding her spontaneously sliced themselves. A pair of twisted handcuffs was tossed at their feet. "—and try to kill you right now."

"You won't get that opportunity." Artemis had a gleaming arrow aimed at the girl in the chair. "Don't move a muscle, or—"

"Or what?" challenged Jinx, leaning forward as though she was about to stand.

"Cut it out!" said Kid Flash, stepping forward. For some reason this made Jinx flinch more than she did while facing down Artemis's arrow. "You can't win, it's six versus one. It won't end well for you, trust me."

She looked like she wanted to say something, but kept her mouth clamped shut. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead in the silence for a few long beats, and only after that did she speak, quietly. "I'm not trying to start a fight, just make a point." Her legs were crossed and her hands folded atop her knee in an amicable pose. "We don't want anything to do with you or your League. If the Titans get in," and she said it in a tone that made it clear they would find a way, "they're only here to free me and the other kid, and then we'll all leave in a hurry."

"Why are you telling us this?" asked Robin. It was the most information she'd given them in the past half-hour. (Had it only been that long? Felt like all night.)

"Simple; if you call your precious Justice League, we don't stand a chance. So, are you willing to take the risk? Think about it—if you lose, all you'll forfeit is me. If you win, well... your League will be pretty impressed with you, won't they? Especially when you get to tell them exactly who the Titans really are..." she goaded softly. "I suppose what it all comes down to is: do you think you can beat the Titans on your own?"

"Of course we can," affirmed Superboy with such conviction that even his reluctant 'father' would be forced to admit the similarities between them.

"This is out of control," Aqualad insisted.

Artemis kept her bowstring taut as she put in her opinion. "Yeah, I'm starting to agree with Kaldur."

Even Robin had to admit that, when their enemy was supporting their plan, they were doing something wrong. How had Jinx managed to twist this situation to her advantage so quickly?

"What, are you crazy?" Kid Flash exclaimed indignantly. "Artemis, you can't switch sides like that!"

"Sides? What sides?" Miss Martian anguished. "We're supposed to be one team, Wally."

The telepathic squabble was ended by Superboy, who had his head cocked to the side and eyes narrowed, concentrating on listening to something none of them could hear. "The computer said Red Arrow just arrived. I'll go get him." This small room had been making him increasingly agitated—he marched out of the area before anyone could tell him otherwise.

"Took him long enough! Red Arrow will be able to talk some sense into you guys. I'm coming with you, Supes!" Kid Flash called after the Kryptonian.

"Wait!" Robin yelled urgently, but the door was already swinging shut behind the speedster. "Aqualad, Red Arrow said he wasn't coming by zeta tube, right?"

"That is what he told me, but it appears—"

"No way," Robin said under his breath, looking at the map on his holo-computer in amazement. There were three signals in the Cave now. The one in Gotham was gone.

Jinx's words came to him: 'Making a phone call, perhaps?'

The square peg fell into the round hole with a clunk; the clues Robin had been trying to jam together were suddenly just fitting. Roy was here, but he was also somewhere else. Two places at once, just like Beast Boy; just like Plasmus. But that was impossible. Unless… they weren't in two places at once—there was two of the same person.

The arrow—the yellow arrow. Speedy. The zeta tubes. Connections were being made so quickly in Robin's mind that he felt dizzy.

"What is it, Robin?" asked Miss Martian with concern.

"I need to go check!"

"Robin—" began Aqualad.

"No time to explain!" He didn't think he could put it into words even if he tried. He wasn't certain he actually did know. It was too ridiculous, implausible, preposterous to be correct. All he understood was that he needed to see for himself—the conclusion he'd spent the last few days wracking his brain for was waiting for him by the zeta tubes. "You three—stay here, all right?"

Robin sprinted, the light in the hallway seeming so dim and cool after the harsh white fluorescent of the interrogation room—those kinds of rooms weren't meant to be comfortable. Undoubtedly, Kid Flash had already reached the mission room, but Robin soon caught up with Superboy.

One of the things Robin liked about Superboy was that he didn't require tedious explanations. After a single look at Robin's face, the Kryptonian was running through the maze of corridors alongside him. Wolf, who must have sensed something wrong, met up with them. Despite Superboy having a longer stride (not to mention all the superpowers at his advantage), Robin's conditioning and pure determination helped him keep pace.

Upon skidding into the echoing, subterranean room that held the zeta tubes, Robin saw two people. One was Kid Flash, struggling to free himself from a mound of dark, dense foam. The kind Red Arrow used in his trick arrows. And the second person...

Robin stared. "You're—"

"Not Red Arrow," the intruder finished.

That much was obvious. This archer looked and sounded exactly like Roy, but it wasn't him. Robin, who spent enough time around masks to be able to see the faces underneath, knew it was Roy's face under that domino mask, but it wasn't him. This newcomer held a bow like Roy—his arms muscled enough to prove he knew how to use it; to prove that he'd shot a million arrows in his lifetime and that the next would be a-million-and-one.

But it wasn't him.

Roy wouldn't wear the outfit this person had on. The red shirt and pants were fine, but the boots, bow, and quiver were all yellow—a colour Roy had left behind when he left behind the name Speedy.

Roy wouldn't bear that 'S' insignia on his shirt; the 'S' that stood for his old alias.

Roy wouldn't have attacked Wally.

Roy wouldn't be aiming a sizzling arrow directly at Robin with a smile.

"Aqualad?" Robin pressed the panic button on his belt to alert Batman and palmed a birdarang. "Now's the time to call the League."

oOo

—Red Arrow—

—Outside Happy Harbor—

Red Arrow didn't need the coordinates Robin sent him. He would need to be blind to miss the gigantic, bird-shaped cloud of dark energy that emerged from the trees beside the highway and soared away into the night sky.

Definitely a little suspicious.

He pulled his motorcycle to a halt, tires squealing. After stashing his bike, helmet, and leather jacket behind some bushes on the side of the deserted highway, he ventured into the forest. It was a particularly marshy patch of woods, with puddles of mud hidden under thick, brambly undergrowth. At one point, he let loose a swear when his leg sunk into mud up to mid-calf and he nearly lost his boot.

It didn't take long to find what he was looking for—a clearing. To his eyes, it was a seemingly empty patch of grass. His other senses told him otherwise. There was a sound here, the soft hum of a machine on standby. He could smell something singed, burnt. Reaching forwards his with hands, he felt the air until his fingers made contact with smooth metal.

A jet. The outline seemed to draw itself before his eyes now that he knew it was here. Cloaking technology was never flawless. There were the wings, and the tail. He felt for the indentations that would mark the edges of the door. It had to be around here somewhere... And sure enough, there it was.

In one fluid movement, he yanked the door open, armed his bow with a knock-out gas arrow, fired it into the plane, and then slammed the hatch, bracing it with his back to keep it shut. Revenge.

It was a small jet, the gas should reach everyone on board. He gave it a minute to filter out before he entered, ducking to avoid banging his head against the low doorframe. Red Arrow found himself in a narrow hallway—so narrow he had to tilt his shoulders at an angle as he walked. Each of the doors he opened to find messy bedrooms with unmade bunk-beds and scattered clothes, and tiny bathrooms that could use a cleaning. Nothing incriminating yet. It all kind of reminded Roy of his apartment, except cramped beyond belief. How could five teenagers live in such close quarters without wanting to rip each other apart?

At the end of the hallway was a kitchen area—if it could even be called that. Slumped on the floor, unconscious and drooling, was a green boy with pointed ears. Red Arrow nudged him with his foot, turning him over to get a better look at his face. Beast Boy of the Doom Patrol, no doubt about it. (But, wasn't he supposed to be a bit younger? Then again, Roy had never actually met the boy—or team—in question.) The scratches on Roy's arm gave a twinge.

He quickly handcuffed the boy and continued his investigation of the plane. Was there even any point to cuff a shape-shifter? Not like he had a better idea. The knock-out gas should keep him down for a long enough, anyway.

The cupboard in the kitchen held food. Well, obviously, he chastised himself as he glanced carelessly inside a second cupboard and closed it. What was he expecting?

Wait. He turned and re-opened the second cupboard. That wasn't food.

Explosive throwing discs, trick arrows of all types (Some of them, he realized with rage, were his—the arrows that had been stolen at the lab. He grabbed them and thrust them in his quiver.), grappling guns, ropes, red shurikens, gas pellets, and more. A freaking armoury crammed in a cupboard next to the one that held canned soup and breakfast cereal.

Who were these people?

A lone tuft of green caught his eye: An arrow stuck crookedly in the corner of the cupboard. One of GA's? No, on closer inspection he recognized it as belonging to Artemis. It also promptly went into his quiver.

There was one room he hadn't checked. He entered the control room at the nose of the plane. Five seats. He chose the front-most one, closest to the console. Uncomfortably, the chair was still warm. Cracking his fingers, he set to work on the computer.

While he was struggling to gain access—he was no Robin, after all—he heard Aqualad's voice over his comm-device. "Red Arrow, report."

"I'm on their jet, checking things out. Like you told me to." And doing a damn good job, he wanted to add.

There was a long pause. "That does not make sense. How—" The signal cut out. Why? Why didn't it make sense? Why was communication disrupted?

Wait... why was this plane empty? Where were the rest of the Titans? It hit him. He knew; he knew exactly where they were. They were at Mount Justice already. His friends could be in trouble and he was just sitting here, trying to get a goddamn computer to work.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. From what he had seen, the Team could handle the Titans. And since they had captured one, and he had one tied up here, it was the six of them versus three Titans. No problem. If the Team was in any kind of danger, he reasoned, Kaldur wouldn't hesitate to call the League, who could get there a lot faster than Red Arrow could.

Robin would be beyond pissed at him if he didn't take this chance to hack the Titans' computer. In frustration, Red Arrow slammed his fist against the console, punching as many buttons as possible. Finally, it reacted.

Ha. Worked every time.

A 'T' symbol appeared on the monitor, and was quickly replaced with an image of the interior of a large, open room. He could see a sofa, and farther back a kitchen counter. Where was this?

"Just hold on, Beast Boy," said a voice from off-screen. "Give me a second; I'm coming." A boy in his late teens entered the image. He wore a blue unitard of some scaly material, had dark, slicked-back, shoulder-length hair, and strange eyes that were completely black—no whites visible. He blinked, confused. "Oh, hello Speedy! I thought—no, wait, you're—"

"Not. Speedy. I'm—"

"Red Arrow," he said, voice hollow with the unwanted realization as he smacked his forehead with his palm. "Right. I know. But, why are you—"

"On your ship? I'm here for information, and I'm not leaving until I get it. I have your friend Beast Boy tied up in the back."

Unitard Guy grimaced. "I'm not really equipped to handle hostage negotiations; that's more Bumblebee's job... I can get her here in ten minutes."

"You don't have ten minutes." The Titans could be back by then. "In the kitchen, there are enough explosives to leave this ship a smoking crater. You answer my questions, or I throw in a lighter. Make your decision."

"Blow up the plane, with Beast Boy inside?" The teen raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Isn't that kind of... dark, for a hero?"

"No, I didn't say I would—" Red Arrow rolled his eyes behind his mask. "I'll take him with me."

"But we'll lose the ship."

"Yes."

"And that's bad."

"Yes."

"And you'll take Beast Boy to the Justice League."

"Yes." It was like this guy knew exactly how to get under his skin.

"Okay, I think I understand the scope of the situation. Everyone is going to kill me, but, fine; ask your questions."

"Who are you?" Not the most pressing matter at hand, but he had to start somewhere. And this dark-haired teen's repartee was casual and overly-familiar to a point that stirred Red Arrow's suspicion.

"Me?" By the way the guy on the monitor hesitated, Red Arrow knew he was about to hit pay dirt. "Uh, I'm... Tramm, the fish-boy. Nice to meet you." He reached out as though to initiate a handshake with Red Arrow, then seemed to remember he was talking to a computer and withdrew his hand.

Red Arrow pulled the lighter out of his pocket and flicked the lid back. "Try lying again. Just try, and see how well I take it. I want the truth."

"I'm... I'm Aqualad."

"No, you're not," countered Red Arrow immediately.

He couldn't be; that was impossible. Atlantean, yes. He carried himself in the same way Aqualad and Aquaman did, the same tall posture and noble tilt of the chin. His manner of speech was an entirely different matter, though—he seemed more than comfortable using contractions. And he was nowhere near as polite or respectful as Kaldur.

"You said you wanted the truth," Aqualad reminded him flippantly.

What was he—a wannabe, poser Aqualad like the new Speedy running around? Were they some kind of club of fake sidekicks? That was even sadder than being a real sidekick.

"I know Aqualad. You're not him."

"I'm sure you do. That's why this is such a mess. See... I know Roy Harper, and you're not him."

His name. This guy knew his name. How did this guy know his name?

Alarms were blaring in Roy's head, but he was careful not to react. (If it was just a guess, he couldn't betray that it was correct.) He kept his features composed in a stern, cool expression and loosened his fists that had clenched the chair's armrests in panic. "What?"

Aqualad held his head in his hands and sighed. "Everyone is going to kill me."

oOo

 _—The Team: Robin—_

 _—Mount Justice—_

The birdarang intercepted the arrow mid-flight, both clattering to the floor. More arrows filled the air. Like an angry flock of birds, they crossed the room with Robin and Superboy as their targets. Robin leapt to the side and rolled away, staying low to avoid getting hit. Superboy took a less evasive approach, choosing to swat the arrows aside with a motion one might use to shoo flies.

Robin took note that the arrows crackled with electricity that shocked on contact. This didn't bother Superboy—to him, they would feel like mere static jolts against his skin—but Robin knew he would find himself in considerable pain if one struck him.

The two of them advanced on the archer, Robin utilizing all his acrobatic agility to weave through the onslaught of projectiles and Superboy simply letting them bounce off his body. The fake Roy matched their forward steps with backwards ones. With one last twang of his bowstring, he turned and took off down a passage, fleeing the room.

"Hey!" Kid Flash called at his teammates' backs as they made to give chase. Only one of his arms was free of the foam, he waved it awkwardly. "A little help?"

"You go," Superboy told Robin. "I'll free Kid Flash; we need him." Robin couldn't agree more—having Kid Flash on his feet would cut this chase short. "And take Wolf."

That's how Robin found himself running after a DNA match to one of his friends with a snow-white, mutant wolf, dodging the occasional arrow the archer launched back at him, and having his birdarangs likewise evaded. Not a typical Saturday night, even for him. And just when they got the Cave looking nice from after the Red disaster, too. The League wouldn't be too happy about the mess.

Robin mentally shrugged and threw another explosive birdarang—which his opponent dodged by turning off into a different corridor. The projectile whistled through the air, embedding itself into the far wall. Robin heard the muffled boom behind him as he followed the archer's new path. Oops.

He was gaining ground on the impostor when a familiar yellow-and-red blur shot past him, sending chunks of foam flying in its wake. Took Kid Flash long enough.

The archer disappeared around a corner. Robin noticed the faint shimmer of the floor ahead... "KF!" he called out. "Ice!"

Too late. It was a smart move on the archer's part; shooting a cryogenic arrow at a turn. Kid Flash—unable to change direction or stop, but still attempting both—ended up spinning in tight circles on the skating rink the floor had become until he collided hard against the wall. He wasn't having any luck today, it seemed. Robin slid neatly over to him.

Kid Flash rubbed the back of his head gingerly, eyes clenched shut. "This is the third time they've taken me down tonight. Three times! Three!"

"Take it as a compliment; they see you as a threat."

Kid Flash's hand scrabbled against the wall for support as he got to his feet. He cracked open an eyelid, searching over Robin's shoulder.

"Where's Superboy? He was right behind me."

Not only that, where was Wolf? The genetically-enhanced mutt must've kept up the chase. Good dog.

"Let's find out." Robin activated his holographic wrist-computer and summoned the Cave's motion sensor grid. The formation of dots a couple hallways over made him grin. "Superboy's got Fake-Roy cornered!" Or Fake-Roy had Superboy cornered—yeah, right! "They're over by—"

In true speedster fashion, Kid Flash was already recovered and racing ahead. Robin looked back at the hologram floating over his glove, his fingers twitching towards the keys. Maybe he should check...

"Hurry up, Rob! You have to see this!"

oOo

 _—The Team: Artemis—_

"I can't believe they ran off like that. Boys!" Artemis spat. "No offense, Aqualad."

Robin hadn't even explained what was so shocking; he just raced off with his cape flapping behind him and a dumbfounded grin on his face. Just because they were at their home base didn't mean they could split from the group to do whatever they wanted. This was still a mission.

And, okay, Artemis was a little miffed that she was stuck keeping watch of this difficult Titan girl (who Artemis swore was giving her the evil eye—especially unnerving in this case, since the girl's eyes were an unnatural pink with cat-like pupils), while Robin, Kid Flash, and Superboy were getting up to who-knows-what elsewhere in the Cave. Whatever it was, it was exciting enough to keep them from paying attention to any attempts at mental communication.

All they'd received was Robin telling them to call the League—oh, how the Boy Wonder loved to leave them hanging in suspense sometimes—and a bunch of nonsensical mental jabbering from Kid Flash. The latter's thoughts had been at hyper-speed, so shrill and overwhelming that M'gann couldn't handle it and was forced to sever the mind-link before they all got migraines.

"No offense taken," Aqualad assured her. He had a finger to the communicator in his ear, listening with a frown. "Red Arrow says he is investigating the Titans' jet."

"Tell him to stop jerking us around. That's impossible." But her voice faltered as she said it; the girl in the chair was definitely smirking at her. Artemis was considering which arrow to use on her, should she try and attack (Punching or electric?), when she heard Miss Martian whimper. "What's wrong?" Artemis asked her friend. "Still having trouble contacting the others?"

Miss Martian had been trying to reestablish the mind-link—hopefully Kid Flash had calmed down by now—but she claimed the others' minds were too preoccupied.

Shaking her head, Miss Martian let her hands fall from her temples as she gave up on her venture of long-range telepathy. "It's more than that... There's something..." She trailed off and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, no," she breathed, her lips hardly moving.

Artemis and Aqualad followed her gaze and gaped, paralyzed with fear.

Black energy was spreading across the ceiling, dripping down the walls like shadows turned into liquid...

oOo

 _—The Team: Robin—_

At a dead end, Robin and Kid Flash found Superboy holding the archer up by a fistful of shirt. Golden arrows were scattered across the floor, along with the splintered remains of a bow. "Explain yourself!" Superboy demanded, slamming the impostor's back against the wall threateningly. Robin couldn't tell what was making the archer more nervous - Superboy's growling or Wolf's. "I'm giving you five seconds. Five."

"You should be more specific," said the archer, in a weak attempt at banter. He didn't seem to realize that it was unwise to attempt a witty exchange with Superboy when someone was threatening his - the whole team's—home.

"Four."

"Explain who I am—"

"Three."

"—or why I'm here?"

"Two."

"I'm not allowed to explain either of them. Strict orders."

"One."

"You know this is all a diversion, right?"

On cue, M'gann's frantic voice echoed in Robin's head. "Where are you? We need your help! There's—"

Robin, Kid Flash, and Superboy exchanged scared looks when her voice was cut off, the mental link that connected them ripping away.

The archer was thrown to the floor, landing heavily on his side with a pained grunt. Superboy charged down the hall, with Wolf hot on his heels. Stopping him from rushing to M'gann's side would be like trying to halt a rock slide.

Kid Flash likewise panicked and sped back to the rest of the team with a gust of wind, sending the arrows skittering across the ground and ruffling Robin's dark hair.

And that left Robin, brushing his bangs back in place and learning how Kaldur and the rest of the Team felt when he abandoned them. It sucked. He also wanted to race back to the others and help, but somebody had to keep an eye on this Speedy impostor. Not that he was much of a threat. He was shaken from being manhandled and tossed around by Superboy, groaning as he sat up on his knees.

Robin quickly checked the signal map on his holographic computer—which he should have done earlier. There were five signals in the Cave: Speedy, Jinx, rude kid, and two more Titans. He should have recognized this as the obvious diversion it was. The chase had been verging on cartoonish, for crying out loud. Well, the damage was done; it wouldn't help to dwell on it.

This sentiment wasn't shared by Speedy, who was indeed dwelling on the damage done to his bow. He crawled over to it and heaved a mournful sigh as he picked up half of the snapped weapon, the bowstring dangling uselessly. "Not part of the plan," he muttered.

Robin stood over the archer with his hands on his hips - both as an act of intimidation and to keep his hands near his utility belt in case of a fight.

"Who are you?"

"Who do you think?" Speedy retorted, placing the broken weapon on the floor and getting to his feet.

"But, how are you—" Here? In existence? Possible?

"Can't tell you."

"How did your team get in Mount Justice?" No alarms had been set off, no sensors had been triggered. It should have been impossible. But then again, the existence of this Roy-duplicate should be pretty near impossible, too.

"Also can't tell you."

"How did you know about the zeta tube in Gotham?" It was supposed to be a secret.

"We know about lots of things. Anyway, we're not sticking around long, so don't worry. None of your friends will get hurt." The more the Titans kept saying that, the less Robin believed them. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to—" He moved as though to edge around Robin.

"Don't bother trying." Robin widened his stance. He had Speedy cornered; the only way the archer was getting away was through him. In other words: Speedy wasn't getting away. Not a chance. "You'll only embarrass yourself."

"Robin." Speedy bent down, scooping up an arrow. "I've heard you're good. Real good." He gave a small smile, as though laughing inwardly at a secret joke. "But, who knows? Maybe this time I'll luck into a win."

"What, you're going to take me down with that?" Robin nodded at the arrow in the archer's hand and snickered. "You don't even have a bow to shoot it with! Might as well be armed with a twig."

"I don't want to do this, but I really need to go meet up with my friends. Got a schedule to keep. So..."

With a brisk movement, Speedy whacked the arrow against the wall. It whined to life, the cylinder on the end crackling with sparks. He held it in front of him like a fencing foil, his other hand beckoning the Boy Wonder to 'bring it on'. Robin remained unfazed, giving the archer his tightest smirk. This was hand-to-hand combat; his opponent was primarily a long-range fighter. They were both aware that Robin had the upper hand.

Robin could wipe the floor with a bow-less Roy any day of the week. What chance did a pretend Roy have?

Priority one: Disarm opponent. A stray spark stung Robin's ear as he nimbly ducked under the archer's swiping arm. He grabbed and cruelly bent Speedy's wrist back to make him drop the arrow, which fell to the floor and gave a satisfying snap under Robin's shoe.

Priority two: Knock down opponent. Speedy, true to the name he'd appropriated, was agile. His jabs were fast and precise, but Robin was a small target. He dodged left, dodged right, and then seized the opportunity during Speedy's next attempted punch to grab his arm and throw him, the archer's own forward momentum used to Robin's advantage.

Priority three: Gloat.

Robin planted a foot on Speedy's chest, pinning him to the floor. It was more a warning than anything—Speedy was larger; he could throw Robin off. But, if he did, he'd wind up on his back again in the blink of an eye. This was Robin the Boy Wonder he was dealing with.

This was the part where Robin's defeated opponent was supposed to struggle, or bargain, or mock Robin in a pitiful attempt at a distraction in order to get free. He did none of these things. He was smiling. Smugly. That could only mean...

Someone was sneaking up behind Robin. No, someone had already snuck up behind Robin, and that someone flipped Robin's cape over his head before he could turn, obstructing his vision. Robin was pushed forwards and did a blind somersault to try and catch himself, which coiled his cape tighter around him.

This was unacceptable. If Batman knew he let someone sneak up on him... Who on earth could have caught the Boy Wonder unaware?

By the time Robin untangled himself from his cape the hallway was already dense with smoke. What the heck was with these Titans and smoke? He could decipher the figure of his mystery assailant extending a hand to the Speedy-figure, helping him off the floor.

They were going to try and flee again, like in Blüdhaven. He didn't know how they were going to get out of the cave—probably whatever way they managed to sneak in—all he knew was he couldn't let them run. So he leapt at the nearest figure, the unknown one, and engaged him in combat.

"Speedy, go!" yelled the Titan, dodging Robin's first kick. "Something happened to BB; we got a distress call from the ship. He needs help! Go find Raven!"

"No! I can—"

Robin's opponent spoke between strikes. They were evenly matched, every move either blocked or evaded—but just barely. "I can hold him off longer. Go! There's not much time, the others will be here soon! And take this." Robin didn't see what was tossed over to Speedy, but he heard the soft thunk as it landed in the archer's hands. "Now go, get out of here and help BB! Don't worry; Raven will come back for me."

The echoes of pounding footsteps faded as Speedy sprinted away. Robin gritted his teeth. Fine, he still had one Titan cornered. Not just any Titan, either. He was now one hundred percent sure he was facing none other than their leader.

Robin's mind was working just as fast as his fists, forced to try something new each time an attack didn't connect.

His wide, arcing kick got caught in mid-air, green-gloved hands twisting his ankle so he overbalanced and stumbled? Then he would try—

His lightning-fast uppercut was intercepted by a steel-toed boot that emerged from the smoke, as his opponent countered with a spinning kick? Then he would—

His attempt to sweep his opponent's feet out with his leg resulted in the Titan jumping and blowing him back with a foot to the chest? Then he—

His double-handspring-into-a-leaping-right-hook-and-an-opposite-knee-to-the-gut combo was somehow evaded, his target slipping away between his limbs, even though no one had ever evaded that move before? Then—

Then—

Then...

Huh.

He was accustomed to his strikes bouncing off—especially against massive, hulking opponents. He was small; there was only so much force he could put behind a punch. He accepted that. Okay, sometimes he accepted that. Other times he charged at bigger opponents regardless, because skill could—and often did—matter more than size. What he wasn't accustomed to was an opponent deflecting and dodging his strikes like he could read Robin's mind. The only person who came close was Batman, and now and then even he got surprised when Robin made a move that was particularly acrobatic and creative. And in this fight, Robin was pulling out all the stops. All of them.

Robin still hadn't gotten a decent hit in, and neither had the leader. They paused for a moment, both panting. His opponent shrunk back against the wall, staying hidden in the last vestiges of smoke.

"Gonna throw more smoke pellets?" asked Robin. "Go ahead; you'll still be trapped. And the others will be here soon. Why are you so scared to show your face? Are you that ugly?" he taunted. "I'm sure I've seen worse. You can't even begin to believe the things I've seen." Two-Face and the Joker came to mind.

There was a moment's hesitation on the Titan's part, then, "Can't I? You might be surprised." And the figure stepped forward from the smoke.

Surprised didn't even begin to cover it.


	9. Chapter 9

**.**

 **Chapter Nine**

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Mount Justice—_

Disguising himself had always been an option. He could have come to this dimension as someone other than the Boy Wonder; as someone other than Robin. He could have hidden behind a new persona.

A different costume—a different person. Maybe no one would have recognized him.

But this was his uniform. This was what he worked best in. This was who he was. Red X, Slade's apprentice—both uniforms symbolized two of his greatest mistakes. The dread of a similar outcome—the shame of what he'd done in the past—would make a new costume weigh too heavy against his skin.

He needed his cape, his mask, his uniform. He needed to be Robin.

And if it got to this point—where his parallel self stood in front of him—Robin had a hunch the kid would see through any disguise, or at least suspect it strongly enough that he wouldn't rest until he saw the face under his mask.

For one short moment the kid was dumbstruck at the sight of Robin, his arms falling loosely from their fighting stance. Robin was a bit stunned, too. He'd been secretly hoping that this other hero wasn't him; that somehow it would end up being a different boy bearing that 'R' badge over his heart, but now Robin knew that wasn't the case.

He saw himself at age thirteen. It was obvious by the messy dark hair that hung over the boy's forehead, the lean, acrobatic build, and the sharp line of his jaw. Even though the younger boy's eyes were hidden and he was smaller than he had been at that age, there was no way Robin could deny it now that he had seen for himself.

And he was more determined than ever to stay away from this kid.

The kid's costume was darker than his own. Mostly black with some red; the same yellow-lined cape, but no green in sight. The cloak looked longer… or maybe it just seemed that way, because the kid was so small. The uniform just screamed Batman. Robin remembered refusing a similar design when he was younger. Despite all Batman's reasoning that it would be safer, he had been unwilling to give up his bright colours. That had led to a fight, he recalled with a twinge. Not their worst, and certainly not their last.

Feigning indifference, the kid took a stance that Robin knew well from his own training with Batman. He also knew that the kid's foot was turned too far to the left; an error that would make him easy to trip if exploited correctly. "They say imitation is the sincerest—"

Robin whipped out his bo-staff, deciding to take advantage of the both the kid's misstep and his lingering astonishment in order to break free of this dead end. He cut the kid off in the middle of whatever witty remark he was about to make by catching him in the right shoulder with the staff and simultaneously knocking the kid's left foot out farther with his own.

Unbalanced, the kid careened backwards—almost comically, with his mouth hanging open in indignation. He clearly wasn't used to facing an opponent that was, well, exactly like him. Robin caught the kid as he tipped, snatching the front of his shirt and throwing him up and over his head, back towards the wall that made the dead end.

Now Robin had a clear path to freedom. He muttered his comeback to the kid's unfinished remark over his shoulder as he ran, cape flying behind, "Must be tough to feel flattered when you're flat on the ground."

Before he turned off into another corridor, he glanced back and saw the kid just standing there—not chasing—engrossed in a blue hologram extending from the wrist of his glove.

Robin ran through the hallways of Mount Justice, ducking around corners and changing direction when he saw figures ahead or heard footfalls approaching. He ran past a combination of doors open to what looked like a library, infirmary, lab, and other assorted rooms, as well as the occasional sealed entrance. The Mount Justice in Robin's world looked similar to this one, but it was abandoned. Its remaining purposes were storage and as a possible emergency bunker. He'd only been there a couple of times (with Batman, and he hadn't been allowed to explore, much to his boredom). As a result, his understanding of the layout was vague at best.

He ran because he couldn't afford to get caught. This wasn't in his plan—ideally, Speedy was supposed to lose the other team and meet up with the Titans once they had freed Jinx and Gizmo, and Raven would whisk them all from the Mountain.

But in the middle of rescuing their two captured dimensional comrades, they had gotten a distress call from Beast Boy. And Speedy hadn't shown up, so Robin had to go search for him, finding him cornered and weaponless. One of them had needed to hold off the kid so the other could go with Raven to help Beast Boy, and Robin could evade capture longer than an unarmed archer.

His decision had been a hasty one. If he could go back, maybe he could've secured a better outcome. But in the field one couldn't look back—only forward. Next idea, next plan, next step. So that's what he focused on: his next step, and the next; one foot at a time.

It was a complete mess, but if he could just keep his freedom for a few minutes; if he could avoid the other team until Raven bailed out Beast Boy and came back for him, it would all end fine. Jinx's words—the words she had said to him as they fled from the interrogation room and the other heroes that were beginning to awaken—echoed in his head.

"They don't know."

Those were all the words he needed to drive him forward. They didn't know. Somehow, despite how hopeless the situation seemed while rushing in, this team didn't know about the Titans yet, beyond what they'd seen with their own eyes. And he intended to keep it that way, if possible.

So he ran. This team's telepath wouldn't be able to read his mind if they couldn't catch him.

This was a race, that's all. A race without a visible finish line; only a timer.

The interesting thing was that he hadn't crossed paths with any Justice League members yet. In fact, there didn't seem to be any League members here at all. He and Raven had braced themselves for failure as they materialized in the Cave, expecting to fall under the might of the League. All they found was (half) the team of young, unsuspecting heroes, who Raven had sent crashing into the wall and under short-lived unconsciousness with haste.

Robin wasn't complaining about the lack of League presence—he was willing to accept any good fortune this universe doled out. It made this rescue mission not only easier, but actually achievable.

There were sprinting footsteps reverberating behind him. They rang off the cold, impenetrable walls trapping him inside this hollowed-out mountain. He increased his speed and took the next corner, and then the next.

He emerged out of the hallway into a huge, cavernous room he didn't recognize. The chamber was so vast that it almost put the Batcave to shame. Robin was atop a wide platform; a slab of flat stone surrounded by nothing on three sides. He made his way to the edge, peering down at the level below. He could easily handle the short drop. Motorcycles were parked on the lower level— a hangar or garage, he reasoned.

"Surrender."

And also a trap, apparently.

The footsteps behind him must have chased him here with purpose. Two people blocked the only door off the platform, the door he'd entered from. The speaker was tall, dark-skinned, with tattoos on his arms that glowed the same electric blue as the swords he held. Robin spotted the symbol on his belt. Aqualad?

Aqualad was accompanied by a girl with a long, blonde ponytail. She wore a green outfit with a matching mask, and had a similarly coloured arrow aimed at Robin. Her body was as tense as her bowstring. He didn't recognize her at all, but she clearly had to do with Green Arrow.

"You don't want to jump," she advised Robin. "We've got that covered."

He glanced over the edge, just to make sure. Waiting below were two more heroes. One he hazarded a guess as the Superboy that Beast Boy mentioned, judging by the shield symbol on his t-shirt. He was a teenage version of Superman, with dark hair and eyes so intensely blue they stood out even from this distance. Beside Superboy was a white wolf that was too huge to be anything but mutant, and a large metallic sphere (What the—?) that emitted whirring noises and blinking lights.

The other hero below was a girl with green skin, floating a foot off the ground and wearing an outfit that reminded Robin strongly of Martian Manhunter—blue and white with a red 'X' across the front. She was the telepath Robin had been trying so hard to avoid.

Green Arrowette was correct; Robin definitely didn't want to jump. He'd take his chances up here with her and the Atlantean, rather than below with a Kryptonian, a Martian telepath, a wolf, and… whatever that circle thing was.

"Tell us who you are, and why you wear that uniform," commanded Aqualad, except Robin wasn't listening. He was running through possibilities for escape.

Robin could throw a birdarang or an electric disc, but he really didn't want to hurt them. Hand-to-hand might work, but he didn't like the looks of those swords and the archer might hit him before he got close enough to fight. An idea struck him. He pulled an electric disc from his belt and threw it high in the air, reaching for the corner of his cape as though to shield himself.

It worked. "Stun bomb!" shouted Aqualad, as he and the archer protected their faces with their arms.

Robin vaulted high over Aqualad and Green Arrowette with his bo-staff and was through the door before the disc clattered against stone.

Too close, he thought as he sprinted down the hallway, trying to take a different path than before. Much too close. Now, he was completely lost. All the corridors were of the same dull, brown rock. He guessed the next few turns, hoping for the best.

He found himself in another spacious room, with curved stone walls. The floor was oddly smooth and hummed under his feet—he could tell it was imbued with technology. Two large portals were hewn into a wall. Zeta-beam transportation tubes, Robin realized. This must have been where Speedy appeared after he went into the zeta tube hidden in Gotham's broken phone booth. (And, sure enough, some of Speedy's golden energy arrows were lodged in the walls. Archers tended to leave a trail.) Cyborg's robot drones had discovered the stray, unprotected Gotham zeta tube, and that piece of intel had come in handy for this rescue mission.

They would have locked him out of the zeta tube by then—he didn't waste time by even considering it as an option.

Several passages led off this room. Which one to take? He prayed Raven would show up soon. He didn't know how much longer he could keep running. And he couldn't call her, because he had given Speedy his communicator in case he got captured.

On a whim, he chose a passage. Something was nagging him as he crossed the room. If he had already seen the other Robin, Superboy, Aqualad… the archer, and the alien… then where was...

Robin's arms were twisted painfully behind his back so quickly that he didn't have time to be surprised. Wriggling his way out of the hold only resulted in him being put in an even more painful head-lock. He pulled with all his might at the yellow spandex-clad arm around his throat, but it wouldn't budge.

"No way I'm letting you get loose!" said a familiar voice in his ear, and he couldn't help but shudder because it was like hearing a ghost. "This is my first victory today!"

An eerie laugh bounced off the stone walls. He couldn't tell where it was coming from. He tried to crane his neck to see, but the arm tightened further.

His younger self stepped into his line of sight—smiling, but not at him. "See, KF? Told you; you're a threat."

The other members of the team entered the room from different passageways. They surrounded Robin, and that was when he knew he was officially caught.

Raven really needed to hurry up.

oOo

 _—The Team: Robin—_

The first thing Robin did was take the impostor's utility belt. It looked legitimate: the same yellow as his own, and in the pockets he found typical equipment (grappling gun, smoke pellets, throwing discs of various types, marble-sized explosives) and some not-so-typical equipment (a metal tube that extended into another bo-staff, strangely-shaped red shurikens—were they supposed to be birdarangs?—and some flat devices about the size of his thumbnail, of unknown purpose).

He searched each compartment like it would contain a plausible explanation for why there was an older version of himself dressed in a sorry imitation of his uniform, presently being tied up by Artemis.

Kid Flash zipped off and brought one of the hard, metal chairs from the interrogation room. It was decided by Aqualad that they would keep the impostor in the mission room—as close to the zeta tubes as possible—because the League would enter the Cave by zeta and they wanted the League to see their prisoner immediately, before he was whisked away by whatever force he used to enter the Cave in the first place.

They were unclear on that point: how the Titans got in. Miss Martian, Artemis, and Aqualad claimed that dark energy filled the room and everything went cold, then they blacked out. They woke up sore and dazed a minute or so later, to find a frantic Kid Flash, a tense Superboy, and both their captives gone.

This second Robin was like a mirage. The Team needed others to see him before they could be sure he was real. They kept looking anxiously at the zeta tubes, even though they would hear the computer announce an incoming League member before they would see the machinery light up.

And Robin felt bad—he felt really, really bad for not telling them what he had done to the zeta tubes. It didn't matter. Batman would arrive soon, and everything would be fine.

His gaze drifted over to Other Robin, as he'd dubbed him. Other Robin was in his late teens, somewhere around seventeen. He was just taller than Kid Flash, and although his shoulders were broader than Robin's, he was still skinny—in a strong, wiry way. The teen's uniform was bright enough to make Robin cringe. Too much green. His dark hair was slicked away from his face; not in the well-groomed style of Bruce Wayne's ward, but rather in untidy, rebellious spikes.

Impostors of Batman had popped up in the past, Robin recalled. Emulating nut-jobs who thought they were helping clean up Gotham when in reality their ill-preparedness was damaging to themselves and others, and just caused more work for the Dynamic Duo. Then there were those with grudges against Batman, who sought to slander his reputation by committing crimes in his guise.

Up close and in decent lighting, neither type ever bore as striking a resemblance to Batman as this impostor did to Robin. This wasn't just some nut in a knockoff costume with improvised toys—this guy was the real deal. The fighting was too natural, the weapons too sophisticated, the likeness way too uncanny.

Just like he'd been able to tell that Speedy shared Roy's face, he could tell that his own future seventeen-year-old face lay under this Other Robin's domino mask.

This was an older Dick Grayson.

Possibilities circled around and around in his head. Clone? Time travel? Parallel universe? Magic?

The idea of two Roys had been thrilling—the impact of that realization had been like a blow to the head, leaving Robin giddy and adrenalized when the mission crossed that line into a conspiracy of true Justice League proportions. But now that the initial shock had long since worn off, and now that he was having to deal with his own double, Robin just felt sick. He turned his eyes back to the belt in his hands.

"Tie his hands in front," he advised without looking up from his task. "Where we can see them. And take his gloves." There were bound to be lock-picks and other tools hidden in the fingertips.

Even disarmed and restrained, Other Robin posed a huge threat in a different sense. He still had weapons at his disposal: words. Words could cause irreparable damage to the secrets Robin tried so hard to keep safe, depending on how much the doppelgänger knew. And Other Robin's eyes under that mask… They couldn't scare Robin more if they had heat vision like Superman's.

The more people who shared a secret, the harder it was to contain. This Other Robin was a walking (well, sitting), talking liability.

The team seemed to sense this. That's why they left the mask on. Out of respect for Robin—their Robin.

And they were trying to hide how freaked out they were. Some of them weren't too good at hiding it. Kid Flash gaped outright, goggling at Other Robin like he was a creature in a zoo, and Miss Martian's eyes skirted around the room as she tried to look everywhere but at him.

Others were better. Artemis seemed like she was pretending Other Robin wasn't another Robin—like he was just some guy—but she couldn't help darting nervous glances in his direction. Superboy stared with nothing more than a slight scowl.

But one—their leader—took a step back and observed the whole picture with a hint of worry. Aqualad watched over both the older boy in the chair and the younger one whose head was bowed so that dark hair hid his face from view.

They were waiting for Robin to speak up and give them some clue as to who this Other Robin was, but he didn't have anything to give them. Nothing but throwing discs and smoke pellets. He let himself become more absorbed in his inspection of the belt, fingers reaching into pockets he'd already checked because there had to be something he had missed—

"Looks like Red Tornado's not the only one with siblings we don't know about," Kid Flash joked lightly, finally breaking the awkward silence. "Rob, why didn't you tell us you have an older brother?"

"Because I don't, and he's not." Done taking inventory on the belt, Robin buckled it across his own chest—from shoulder-to-hip, like a sash—for safekeeping and walked up to Other Robin. One thing was missing, he'd noticed. "No communicator?"

"You confiscated one already—things aren't cheap." Everyone's eyes widened as Other Robin spoke, because up until then he hadn't opened his mouth. None of the manipulative banter of Jinx, nor the self-satisfied, smart-ass remarks of Speedy. Not a word.

They'd heard his voice before—in the dark, in the smoke—but hearing it while seeing his face made it sound completely different. It wasn't exactly the same as Robin's (older, for one thing) but upon careful listening, it kind of—

"What do you think you're doing?" Superboy demanded suddenly.

Other Robin froze, his arms bent up so his tied hands hovered near the side of his face. "My ear's itchy."

The Team watched their captive skeptically, just daring him to try something.

Relax, you guys, Robin wanted to say. He's not going to pull a batarang from behind his ear. But the words were forgotten before they could be voiced, because it was then that he saw the scars.

Artemis was clutching Other Robin's gloves, which meant his arms and hands were bare as he reached up to scratch his ear, the marks from old wounds on full display. Frowning, Robin grabbed the teen's wrists and wrenched his arms, stretching them out to get a better look.

There were numerous scars on his skin, scars that Robin found himself placing names to (Joker, to the slash in the crook of his arm; Penguin, to the thick mark on the side of his bicep, where a sharp projectile must have grazed him; Killer Croc, to the three tooth-marks dotting the base of his thumb) since he had similar ones—although not as many, and in different spots.

With each passing moment spent in his double's company, Robin felt less and less turbed.

How was it possible? No excuse or explanation was offered. The Titan's face was blank and his jaw locked as Robin released his grip on the older boy's wrists.

Questioning would be useless. Evidence was all they could count on. He yanked a dark strand of hair from Other Robin's head and carefully dropped it into a glass vial for later DNA testing.

"Think he'll be a match?" Artemis asked through their mind-link.

Yes. But he gave a non-committal jerk of his head as he stashed the vial in the pocket on his belt where it came from, and simply responded with: "Speedy was." The computer recognizing him as their Red Arrow was proof of that.

"We should check under his mask," said Superboy.

"You should check," Miss Martian rephrased hastily, "not us. We won't peek, we promise."

It had to be done; Robin just wished he didn't have to do it alone. For a split second he wanted to throw all his secrets out the window, so he wouldn't have to face the Other Robin by himself.

He peeled the mask off slowly, throwing a glance over his shoulder partly to make sure that his teammates were turned around and partly because he was stalling. Halfway, at the bridge of the nose, he stopped. He was prepared for Other Robin to resist, prepared to pry the eyelids open forcibly. That wasn't necessary.

The bright blue eye of Dick Grayson looked back at him, weary but defiant. It was circled with lightly bruised skin. The beginning of a black eye. Robin wondered how he got it.

He pressed the mask back on, more concerned about making it stick properly than whether he was poking Other Robin's eye too hard.

"Yes. It's... he's... definitely me. You can turn around now."

"A clone," growled Superboy, his shoulders taut and hands clenched into fists as though he would very much like to punch something. "Cadmus is cloning again. I can't believe it. The League was supposed to have them under control!"

"Yeah, must be them," Kid Flash said. "They took our DNA, remember?"

How could they forget? The pain of it had been like being burned, electrocuted, and stabbed with countless needles simultaneously. It made the list of Robin's top ten most painful experiences—not that he liked to dwell on them long enough to rank them.

"Robin destroyed the samples prior to our escape," said Aqualad. Robin nodded. He distinctly remembered hearing the explosions of his three birdarangs and the shattering of glass as they fled the chamber with the pods.

Kid Flash shrugged at these details. "They could've salvaged some."

"That neglects to explain the existence of Speedy. Red Arrow did not infiltrate Cadmus with us that night."

Those were merely more details for the speedster to shrug at. "They got him later. Guy hasn't exactly been Mr. Talkative lately—there's lots he hasn't been telling us."

"It doesn't make sense," said Robin. "Why would they clone two humans without any superpowers? And why send them here?"

"To screw with your head," Artemis told him matter-of-factly.

Other Robin seemed to follow their psychic conversation, even though he couldn't hear it. He was observing all of them carefully, judging their expressions, reactions, and hand gestures. With perfect accuracy, his masked gaze sought each hero in turn as they spoke.

"Mission accomplished," said Robin, and the white lenses turned to meet his own.

He heavily doubted the cloning theory. One didn't become a Robin by being force-fed information in a tube. It took years of training, years of experience, years of learning. The growth—as a fighter, a spy, a detective, a marksman, and more—took time, and was never-ending. His skills were hard-earned, and he knew Red Arrow's were as well. Take away all that experience, and they were just humans. Why wouldn't Cadmus take the easier route and clone Kid Flash or Aqualad instead? Or did clones of them exist, too?

And then there were the scars. How did freshly-minted clone get all those battle scars, some clearly several years old?

"Hello, Megan!" Miss Martian exclaimed, bonking her forehead with her palm. "It's time travel! I mean, he's older than you. And Uncle J'onn told me the Justice League has dealt with time travel before."

"That means he's interfering with the past! Rob, what's wrong with you?" Kid Flash pointed an accusing finger at his teammate. "Haven't you seen the movies? Not good, you guys. Not good!"

"He's the one doing the interfering, KF. Not me. I don't think it's time travel, or their Speedy wouldn't have looked around the same age as ours," reasoned Robin. "He definitely wasn't any older. Might have even been a bit younger."

Kid Flash snapped his fingers. "I got it! What if this is you from the future but Speedy's a clone of Red Arrow from the future?"

"Suuure, Kid Conspiracy," said Artemis with that special roll of her eyes she reserved only for him. "I'd be more willing to accept inter-dimensional twin than that load of—"

"Alternate dimensions? Now that's just far-fetched." Although whether it truly was, or whether Kid Flash just hated the idea because it had been voiced by Artemis, remained to be seen. "I mean, it's possible, theoretically, but..."

"This is getting us nowhere," said Superboy bluntly. And Robin had to agree. They could stand around speculating and arguing all night, and it would just be a waste of time. They needed more information. Solid facts and reasonable explanations, but Other Robin wouldn't give them either.

Robin considered the facts they knew for sure, trying to come up with a new approach. "Whatever he is, it's gotta have to do with the energy signal he's giving off."

Kid Flash snapped his goggles over his eyes when reminded of the energy, and glared at Other Robin through the red-tinted lenses. "You—Fake Robin. Why do you glow?"

No answer. Other Robin's poker face didn't waver in the slightest.

"Could be from… I don't know…" Artemis made small circular gestures with her hand, as though trying to conjure the exact words. "Some kind of portal or device to do with traveling through dimensions or universes? Or something?"

"It could just as easily be from traveling through time. Or maybe it's energy Cadmus subjected him to to make him like, smarter or stronger or grow faster. Like Kobra Venom in energy form, except without the gross mutations. Or maybe he's some sort of energy being, and not human at all." Kid Flash rushed through this speech in one breath, without pause. "Or maybe—"

"And I'm being far-fetched?"

Aqualad regarded the zeta tubes with concern. The portals had yet to stir. They were still quiet, still cold, still dark. "The League should be here by now. Why have none of them responded to our distress signal?" He reached for the communicator in his ear.

Robin figured it was time to come clean. "It's because I restricted the zeta tubes. And all communications." He'd done so immediately after his lookalike ran from him, when he realized what a drastic turn the situation had taken. It hadn't been difficult—he even managed to multi-task it with tracking Other Robin through the Cave's motion sensors so the team could try and trap him in the hangar and later the mission room. "Right now, the only person who can enter Mount Justice is Batman."

The reaction was as expected. "What?" Kid Flash blurted out loud, the rest of the Team all mirroring his shocked expression. "You said he was busy! There are other members of the League who can get here way sooner. They could even be here by now!"

"Robin, you cannot make such rash decisions without asking me," said Aqualad sternly. "You should not have tampered with the zeta tubes, just as you should not have run off and left us vulnerable to attack."

Before the Team had been standing circled around Other Robin. Now it was Robin they were all turned towards, all surrounding. And he didn't like it. The usually roomy chamber seemed to have shrunk, and the way they were looking down at him made him feel very much like the shortest team-member that he was. But he stayed resolute.

"Kid Flash ran off first! And I'm sorry, okay? I'm not trying to... take over." That was the last thing he wanted. "But, in case you haven't noticed, this has gotten a little personal!" He threw out an arm in the direction of Other Robin, who was watching him with a complex expression that almost seemed... apologetic? Understanding? Sympathetic? "Batman will want to know first, before we drag in the entire League. I promise he'll be here soon."

"His friends are bound to get here soon, too!" interjected Artemis. "What if Batman doesn't make it in time?"

"Can't you call him?" asked Superboy.

Robin shook his head. "We're in lockdown. I shut off all communications—they could be intercepted by the League."

"Do you have to be so freaking paranoid?" Kid Flash fumed. "What's the big deal if the League knows? They're your allies—your friends!"

"You. Don't. Understand!" Robin ground out, trying to hide his somewhat panic. "This is serious! If there are doubles running around, who knows who we can really trust? I'll be able to tell if the Batman that shows up is the true Batman. When he gets here, he'll know what to do."

End of discussion. Robin had dug in his heels, and he knew they knew there was no possible way they could force him to do his computer-magic to change the zeta tubes back to normal.

There was a long pause in which everyone kept their words—and thoughts—to themselves. Probably for the best, since Robin bet their thoughts were all about himself, and couldn't be too pleasant.

"Perhaps M'gann could try reading his mind," said Aqualad, after giving everyone enough time to cool down. "We must not let him escape without trying to gain more information about who he is and why he is here."

"After what happened last time?" Superboy snapped.

"It is just a suggestion. If M'gann feels threatened, she need not—"

"I won't do it." Miss Martian crossed her arms adamantly. "Not because I'm scared—I know how important this is, I wouldn't let the chance of a little pain stop me from at least trying—but because he's Robin. I know he's not our Robin, but he's still a Robin. I won't risk accidentally finding out something that our Robin doesn't want me to know."

At that moment Robin felt a surge of affection for Miss Martian. He also felt guilt. A tight, twisted knot of guilt in the pit of his stomach. This situation affected more than just him—Roy, his team, and the entire League could be threatened by the Titans, yet it was his refusal to sacrifice his secrets to his friends that kept them from possibly discovering vital information.

He took a deep breath. Batman wouldn't be happy with him, but… "M'gann, you can—"

"There is… one thing I could do," Miss Martian said at the same time. It was one of those awkward moments where two people spoke at once. Robin let his voice die out in favour of hers. She bit her lip uncertainly. "It's a long shot, but I could try linking your mind with his, with my mind acting as just the bridge. If that's all right with you."

"All right?" Robin smiled. "It's perfect."

"It might not work."

"But it is the best idea we have," added Aqualad.

"The gloves are coming off, huh?" Robin asked as Miss Martian made her gloves melt away with a mental command, revealing green hands. "Serious business."

"I've never tried this before. I really hope it works. I'll do my best to keep my mind separate from yours, but..." She sounded like she was apologizing already.

"You'll do fine." Despite his reassurance, her touch was clammy with anxiety against his forehead. "This will be totally asterous."

"He may try to attack you with bad thoughts," warned Miss Martian as she placed her other hand against their captive's brow.

Robin smirked at his counterpart. "Bring it on."

"Don't do this." Other Robin understood what was about to happen. "You don't want to do this."

"So you're willing to talk?" Robin asked.

Silence.

"Didn't think so. Link us up, Miss Martian." He closed his eyes to brace himself for the telepathic clash.

Miss Martian was correct: Bad thoughts were pelted at his mind immediately. Feelings of pain, of horror, of rage, and loss all stung him like a swarm of wasps. Instead of blocking them, he opened himself up and accepted them. The feelings unfurled into disordered images and noise, expanding before him.

He saw faces he recognized and faces he didn't, faces of friends and enemies, grinning and frowning, laughing and crying, and one in particular that twisted from a modest smile–

"Feeling lonely since I exterminated all your friends?"

–to an ugly sneer of hatred. There were cities, too: A dark, smoggy city that smothered him - he couldn't stay there another minute, not another minute, not one more minute or he would scream. Another, with neon buildings taller than he'd ever seen, too foreign and overwhelming for him to get his bearings. He drowned in it, he was so lost–

"...You leave me no choice, I must place you under arrest."

–And a third city. One that stood out the most. One that he considered his home. It was warm and clean with an ocean breeze—a blank canvas, a clean slate—and it needed him. What better place to step out of the shadows and prove himself than a city filled with sun? Except—

"You're just a stupid, little kid!"

—his home was threatened and burning and under attack, and his friends—his family—were threatened and falling and yelling and screaming and getting hurt and trapped and tricked and captured and he should be able to stop it from happening. He would stop it from happening. It was his job. So he worked harder, he fought harder, he trained harder, he remained vigilant, he studied the clues, he stayed up all night, he watched, he listened, he grew, he learned. And one thing he learned was that...

"Betrayal, destruction, revenge... we really do think alike."

... sometimes on the road of self-discovery you stumbled upon things you were horrified to discover.

He caught a glimmer of colour behind these memories. He nudged them gently aside, creating an opening for his mind to sneak through.

The bombardment of chaotic thoughts ceased. He was floating in the eye of the hurricane, alongside more memories. These ones were treasured. They were sharply focused and jewel-bright.

"I suppose I could team up, just this once."

He shouldn't. It was worse than peeking at someone else's diary. But even if he knew how to turn back, he wouldn't. He'd come this far already.

"That's how come you're my hero, Robin. 'Cause no matter what, you always try."

The pleasant memories didn't interest him as much as the dark, tangled ones locked away in, well… it was hard to describe. He couldn't really see it as much as sense it, but, if the mind was a body then that thing would be its heart.

"Then... we have nothing to fear."

Although he had an inkling of what was concealed within—and he knew that it was wrong of him what was he doing he wasn't supposed to he needed to turn back turn back now—he reached out to it.

Everything did a sudden one-eighty. Tormenting thoughts and memories were hurled at him frantically in an attempt to push him back. He only caught flashes. They were rushing at him much too quickly, spiraling around him. He was definitely overwhelmed.

guilt...

"And you did not trust us."

–a door closing–

ruin...

"…The end of all things mortal."

—the sky was on fire, the world was crumbling, the people were turned to stone—

failure...

"You will fall, one by one."

–proof of his error nestled in his gloved palm, what was once a tool was now a threat–

desperation...

"I'll take down anyone who gets in my way!"

–the glint of metal reflected in his friends' wide eyes–

fear...

"I am the thing that keeps you up at night, the evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind..."

–a mask, always watching from the shadows–

The chaos stopped abruptly. The plug had been pulled, or the switch clicked, or the door closed, or the curtain drawn… Whatever had happened, the show was over. He was in some kind of pitch-black limbo.

A face loomed before him, with light grey skin and glowing white eyes framed by a hood. It spoke, its voice soft and ice-cold.

"That is enough."

No, he needed to know more. He hammered against the barrier between his mind and the other boy's. The wall held. He struck more ferociously. There was light building around him: bright, white, hot, blinding light that ate away at the darkness and him as well.

"Enough! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

And then he returned to reality, his back flat against the floor like Black Canary had just thrown him in training and his ears ringing. Strong hands grabbed his shoulders as Superboy set him on his feet. "Thanks."

"So, what happened?" Kid Flash looked from Robin to Miss Martian, who had her eyes clenched shut and was massaging her temples but hadn't been knocked off her feet like the Boy Wonder. "Bad thoughts again?"

"That's not it," Miss Martian said. "There was something... else. He had some kind of protection; nothing I'm familiar with. Did you see anything, Robin?"

The word 'yes' was about to leave his lips, but as he tried to remember the memories and thoughts he uncovered they melted into an indecipherable mess, like a pile of photos set on fire. The details trickled away, the faces and voices faded.

"I did. I saw lots of things—important things—but whatever threw me out tampered with them. I can't—" He shook his head. The harder he tried to retain them, the faster they deteriorated. "I'm pretty sure he's not a clone, and..."

Hope leapt in his chest as the cool, electronic voice of the zeta tube chimed. Right now it was his favourite sound in the whole world. "Recognized: Batman, zero-two."

"About time," said Robin, his face cracking into a grin.

"You ever been interrogated by Batman?" Kid Flash asked the teen tied to the chair, nudging him sharply with his elbow.

The zeta tube flared to life, pale yellow light glowing at its heart as the massive rings spun within. A figure materialized, and it was definitely Batman—the real Batman. Batman, striding forward swiftly. Batman, with his long, sweeping cape and his dark cowl and his equally dark and oh-so familiar frown. Batman, pausing for a split second to take in the scene.

What a scene it must have been. Robin, a little unsteady on his feet and with a second utility belt strapped across his chest. The mess of sticky, red foam from when Speedy trapped Kid Flash. Arrows stuck in the walls. Miss Martian, grimacing from a headache. The rest of the team looking equal parts guilty and thankful to see an adult. And, of course, the second Robin tied to a chair in the center of the room.

Robin had expected the doppelgänger to be a sweating, fearful mess when face-to-face with the Batman. But instead of fear, there was a stagnant bitterness in his frown and the tensing of his neck. Batman and Other Robin sized each other up, neither seeming to breathe or even so much as twitch as their hidden eyes bore into each other.

What passed between them, even Robin couldn't say.

All of a sudden, Robin knew something was wrong. And not just because Batman's head jerked up to look at something behind the Team's backs. But because Robin felt it: a presence in the room—darker than even that of the Dark Knight—that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It was like a cloud had passed over the sun, even though they were indoors.

"Not again," whispered Artemis.

Shadows were seeping into the room like black water, spreading across the floor and up the walls. Every surface drowned under the darkness. It could have been from a horror movie.

"About time." Other Robin smiled in relief at the inky energy pooling under his chair. The shadows collected themselves into the form of a rearing bird. A towering raven. Power— terrible and cold—emanated from it. Its wings curled to claim the bound teen.

With great effort, Robin threw off the paralysis that had gripped him and got his legs to once more act on his command. He couldn't let the doppelgänger get away. A firm hand grabbed him by the collar, reining him back so sharply that his feet nearly slipped out from under him.

"No!" Aqualad's voice rang next to him. The webbed fingers of the leader's other hand were wrapped tightly around the upper arm of Kid Flash, who had a similar idea of pursuit. "It is too dangerous. We do not know what it is capable of."

The shadowy bird cocooned Other Robin with its wings, chair and all, and sunk through the floor, leaving nothing but a chill that raised goosebumps on the skin of everyone in the room.

He was gone. Other Robin was gone.

At least—not like it even mattered anymore—at least that solved one mystery. They now knew exactly how the Titans managed to sneak into the Cave: Like that.

Batman's gaze swept over each guilty teen in turn, settling on Robin last, and then snapped back to Aqualad. "Explain."

If only they could.


	10. Chapter 10

**.**

 **Chapter Ten**

 _—Teen Titans : Robin—_

 _—Outside Happy Harbor—_

They touched down in the tall grass of the clearing, Raven grabbing the back of Robin's chair as he fell from the dissipating energy to stop him from tipping over.

The air seemed cool and fresh after being trapped inside Mount Justice, and Robin took a deep breath, relieved to be free and far away from the mountain and the people it contained. He disliked caves. Being stuck underground was something he'd long since grown sick of.

Over the tops of the half-bare autumn trees, the looming silhouette of the mountain they just escaped was clearly visible. Robin scanned the dark clearing until he saw the shimmering outline of the ship, right where he left it. Any last traces of worry melted away. Everyone out safe? Check. Ship secure, despite a small scare? Check. Accomplished while unseen? Not quite, but the first two priorities were more important. If anything happened to their ship, they might as well march right to the Justice League and give themselves up because they'd be completely stranded in this world.

Raven didn't say a word about Robin's current position: the leader of the Teen Titans disarmed and tied to a chair like some common criminal. He felt so pathetic. But with Raven, he didn't need to explain it all away. He didn't need to shield himself with excuses. He could tell her anything.

"Raven, I couldn't fight them."

He'd learned through experience that the line between good and bad could be hard to see. With this mission—the sneaking around and the hacking and the hiding—his team was swimming in that grey area. While he was always uncomfortable with it, he'd assured himself they were fighting the good fight. Until he'd come face-to-face with those young heroes. They had been so confused, and angry, and scared. All because of him. At that point, attacking them would have taken him too far from his side of the line, so far that he would no longer be able to fool himself with shades of grey. So he'd held back. Because of that, he'd gotten captured. If Raven hadn't shown up when she did…

She stood in front of him and looked down, straight into his eyes. Sometimes he felt like she could see right through his mask. "Are we still avoiding contact with them?"

As leader, it was his decision. His gaze veered over to Mount Justice, an inky blot against the deep, blue-black sky. Batman was in there. So many things were different in this universe, but Batman was always Batman. Batman was the one true universal constant. He'd only spent a few seconds in the man's company, but each second had been one too many.

If he had to face Batman again, or talk to him… There was no way it could end well for Robin or the Titans with everything they'd done, and with all the secrets they were trying to keep, and with the mission they were determined to shoulder on their own (for the sake of this universe's Justice League, even if those heroes wouldn't be able to see past the Titans' ages to understand that).

He nodded.

Her pale face didn't betray either support of disapproval as she lifted his bound wrists and contemplated the ropes. "Then you might have to fight them, Robin, at least enough so we can get away. After all this… The Justice League will search for us. If they catch us, you'll either have to find a way to fight them, or find a way to talk to them." Again, she didn't show any opinion toward one option or the other.

"I know." If they were lucky, they wouldn't get caught again and he wouldn't have to make that choice. "Is Beast Boy okay?" he asked. Raven would have already said if he wasn't, but Robin wanted to make sure.

Dark energy sliced the cords off Robin's arms. "He's fine."

He smiled gratefully at her and rubbed his wrists. Green Arrowette had tied those ropes a bit too snugly—that girl knew her knots. His hands felt so bare without his gloves. Good thing he had plenty of spares onboard the ship—spare belts, too. "False alarm?" After all they went through to send Beast Boy back-up, that better not be the case.

"No." The ropes binding Robin to the chair were telekinetically cut. They landed among the grass and fallen leaves, and he was finally able to stand and stretch. "I'll tell you more on the ship," Raven said, leading the way.

Whirring sounds were building louder and louder in the clearing. The jet's engines were prepared to take-off the moment the two latecomers were onboard. Robin tried to brace himself for the inevitable storm the rest of the team had in store for him.

He had one question he needed to ask—while he was still alone with Raven, and able to speak to her without being overheard. "That was you, wasn't it? You kept them out of my head."

In the mountain, he had felt the calming presence of her mind blanketing his own, just like it did that one night in Titans Tower when he willingly opened his thoughts and memories to her; when he shared with her the fear and pain he was feeling at the hands of a man who—even in death—wouldn't stop hunting him. That act of trust had cemented a bond between them, one that remained present even now. One that had been his protection from the telepathic invasion.

Raven paused, hovering so the hem of her cloak just brushed the grass. She kept her back to him when she answered. "Yes."

"Thanks, Raven. I was worried they'd find out about us."

She turned and gave him that look he knew too well, her violet eyes steady and serious. The bad news look. And he loved that she never sugarcoated things—he could always count on her to break the cold, hard facts to him—but the bad news look always made his gut twist in dread. "Robin... they did find out."

"What? But..." How? They were still desperate for answers, right up until Raven showed up.

She was already facing away from him, floating hurriedly towards the ship. "We'll talk inside. We're not safe here."

oOo

 _—The Team: Robin—_

 _—Mount Justice—_

Batman was angry, that was a given.

Since Robin used his emergency-only panic button to call him, no doubt Batman had expected the worst and been ready to rip to shreds whatever villain was foolish enough to break into Mount Justice and attack the Team. Instead he found them tangled in a web of conspiracy and mystery and impossibilities. They'd gotten themselves so tightly knotted and twisted that even the world's greatest detective would have trouble with the momentous task of pulling them free and smoothing out the clues into something that made sense.

What the rest of the Team saw as cold fury—that had them shaking in their spandex as they stood sheepishly and let Kaldur do all the talking—Robin knew was something different, actually rooted in concern. Batman wasn't as angry with their disobedience as he was at the fact that said disobedience meant they recklessly put themselves in danger. Danger that they obviously hadn't been prepared to handle.

Obviously. Because if they could, then why had the Titans gotten away?

The others couldn't read Batman like Robin could, and that's why they stood quietly with their eyes aimed at their feet as Aqualad told the Dark Knight everything: tracking the energy signature, Red Arrow's encounter, their decisions, the sneaking out, Blüdhaven, and the chaos in the Cave up until his arrival. Robin was quiet, too, but—unlike the others—he wasn't hanging his head.

They hadn't seen Batman take a near-microscopic breath of relief as he'd emerged from the zeta tube and seen them all standing, intact and unharmed.

They didn't realize that most of the quiet anger radiating from him was just left over from what he'd been prepared to direct at whoever threatened them.

They couldn't tell how every so often, his eyes hidden in that dark cowl would flicker over to where Robin stood— just to check that he was there, that he was okay.

Robin wanted to blurt out a hundred apologies to his guardian. This had all been such a stupid idea. The Justice League must have been completely frantic when the Cave went into lockdown. But this was Batman, not Bruce. And right now he was Robin, not Dick, so apologies would have to wait. There was business to take care of.

And Batman was all business. "Robin. Speedy. Beast Boy. Jinx. And an unknown."

"Her name's Raven," stated Robin.

Raven, the movement in the shadows last night. Raven, the cloaked figure with telekinesis that Red Arrow mentioned. Raven, the force that threw Robin out of his counterpart's mind (He was sure it was her.). The Titan they knew the least about.

"What?" Kid Flash stared at his friend in confusion.

"It's what their leader said to Speedy." After you guys ditched me, Robin wanted to add. Then again, he'd ditched Aqualad and the others, so he wasn't really one to talk. "He told Speedy: 'Don't worry,Raven will come back for me'."

"How do you know it's a 'her'?"

'She was in my head' sounded a bit crazy, so he just shrugged. "Their leader said so." He had, right? Robin couldn't recall.

"Tell me about their leader," said Batman. "The other Robin."

Kaldur spoke up. "We still do not know how he or the Speedy came to be. We believe cloning. After what we discovered at Cadmus, it is a possibility we cannot ignore."

"Wrong," Robin said flatly. Hadn't he already told them this? "We can ignore it all we want. He's not a clone. I don't think he's from the future, either. He had this entire life, and it wasn't mine. It was like mine, but at the same time it wasn't. It's— It's hard to explain."

Superboy's brow was furrowed as he looked down at the shorter boy. "You said you didn't remember any of it."

"I don't, but it was still there. There were things about Gotham, and a different city… and Raven and Beast Boy, and two other people… I don't remember the details." All he could give them were half-certain guesses. It was like he was taking a test he wasn't prepared for, wracking his brain for answers he should know but wouldn't arrive on his command. And that never happened to him. It was beyond frustrating. "They were real memories."

Artemis shrugged, her elbows bent and her hands up in a careless gesture. "I'll say it again: inter-dimensional twin."

"More proof is needed to conclude inter-dimensional travel. It isn't a theory we can take lightly." With a small wave of his hand, Batman ordered the mission room's main computer to make a holographic keyboard materialize, and rapidly began typing. Translucent computer screens expanded and hung in the air above their heads. Four files on four villains Robin had never heard of. Some hokey magician, a nerdish loser with stringy hair and beady eyes, a teen cyclops, and another teen wearing a red costume.

"I thought we were talking about the Titans. What do they have to do with it?" asked Superboy gruffly.

Robin was wondering the same thing. They looked familiar, but he didn't know from where. He hadn't fought any of them, that he was certain of. He'd remember fighting a magician.

Batman finished typing, and the glowing keyboard in front of him faded away. "These criminals were taken from jails on the west coast by the same black energy we just saw. The only other apparent similarity is that all were first-time captures."

That was it. Batman had mulled over these files a couple weeks ago. There hadn't been enough evidence—analysis showed magic was at play, but unidentifiable magic—to come to a definitive conclusion. "And now we know the Titans were responsible," added Robin. Instead of explanations, they just had more questions, and no one to answer them.

"They're busting bad guys out of jail and attacking us, but they have a Robin and a Speedy. I don't get it. Are they evil, or—" Kid Flash was cut off suddenly by earsplitting alarms blaring to life. An intruder alert. Faces screwed up in pain at the noise, which seemed too loud in this typically quiet cave. Superboy clamped his hands over his sensitive ears to muffle the sound. Red emergency lights flashed steadily—on-off, on-off.

"At least we know the security system's not broken!" Artemis yelled over the klaxon.

Robin summoned a holographic keyboard and hastily turned off the alarms, to everyone's relief. The sound was still ringing off the cave walls as he accessed the external surveillance feed and produced large computer windows, that floated next to Batman's files, to display the footage overhead. Most of the scenes were clean—rustling trees, falling leaves, little movement in general—except for the one outside the hangar door. Robin zoomed in. A figure, recognizable even in the dark, was banging to be let in.

Robin laughed. There was someone who might have answers! How could they have forgotten? "Red Arrow!" he exclaimed as he turned to the rest of the Team, having a total 'Hello, Robin!' moment. "He was on the Titans' jet last we heard—he's bound to know something."

"Then why has he not contacted us?" asked Aqualad, watching the on-screen archer give up on banging and decide to kick the side of the mountain in frustration. A bad decision, judging by the way Red Arrow hobbled back and the fact that he didn't try it again.

"He probably tried, but I cut off all communications." Robin could swear the rest of the Team was channelling Superman, because the heat of their glares was way past figurative. "Oops." He remedied his technological no-no before his hair started burning, and patched Red Arrow's comm-signal through the mission room's communication and speaker systems for good measure.

The tinny sound quality did nothing to hide Red Arrow's sharp tone. "—not in the mood for this. Let. Me. In."

"Access is restricted, so it won't open," said Robin.

"Should we let him in?" Kid Flash scrutinized the figure on the screen. "How do we know he's our Speedy, not their Speedy?"

"...It's Red Arrow," came the curt response from the room's speakers.

Kid Flash blinked his green eyes in surprise. "He can hear us?"

"Yes, I can hear you. Now open the door or I'll—"

"Definitely ours," Robin cut in. "Besides, why would they try and get back into the Cave after all they went through to escape?"

Aqualad nodded in agreement. "Let him in."

But before Robin let his fingers touch the keys, he glanced furtively at Batman for permission. There was no nod or thumbs-up. The signs of approval were subtle and unnoticeable to anyone except Robin. With the green light from Batman, Robin quickly bypassed the extreme security protocols he'd set up. On-screen, the grass under Red Arrow's feet lowered into a ramp, and he led his motorcycle into the hangar and out of sight.

Now there was nothing to do but wait for him to reach the mission room. They did so anxiously and silently, wondering what answers he could have for them. In the meantime, Robin unbuckled the second utility belt from his chest and wordlessly handed it, along with the DNA sample, to his mentor. The man accepted both, also wordlessly.

When the irate redhead entered the room, he seemed a little out of breath. He'd gotten here awfully fast—Robin wondered if he ran down the hallways. Red Arrow offered no more than raised eyebrow at the golden arrows in the walls and a frown at the foam that came from one of his own stolen projectiles. He appeared to understand what had happened, as he didn't ask any questions. The archer didn't have any new injuries visible, but he was caked in mud. He must've tracked muck all the way from the hangar to the mission room. Facing the Team, he spoke. "When I offered to back you up, I meant back you up. Help you fight people, not be your little information scout. Next time, do your own investigating."

"Does that mean you discovered information on the Titans?" asked Kid Flash with a hopeful grin.

"Did I ever."

There was an awkward silence, as everyone watched him expectantly.

"Well?" asked Batman finally.

"I'm here to talk to the Team. Just the Team. They're the ones who asked for my help."

Brave, very brave. And also really, really stupid. Robin spoke up quickly, before Batman could express his displeasure. "Just— just spill, okay?" They were kind of done keeping this a secret from the League.

Red Arrow hesitated, but relented when Robin gave him a pleading look. "The Titans are a team of heroes from another universe." He did not seem whelmed by their reaction, or lack thereof. It was apparent he'd meant the blunt statement to be more of a revelation than a confirmation. Instead of shock, all he got in return were accepting frowns. A few wide eyes, but not many.

Artemis cleared her throat and gave Kid Flash a smug smile. "Told you—"

"Don't say it," he warned her.

"How do you know?" Batman asked Red Arrow.

"They told me," the archer replied. (Not gonna cut it, thought Robin as he saw Batman's head tilt down in skepticism.) "I managed to make contact with their home dimension through their computer, and spoke to their Aqualad."

"There's another Kaldur, too?" questioned Miss Martian curiously.

"Not Kaldur. I don't know who he is. I've never seen him before in my life. He was Atlantean, approximately the same age as Kaldur. Dark hair, black eyes. Completely black eyes." They all looked to Aqualad, who appeared thoughtful for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. The description didn't ring a bell. Red Arrow continued, "He knew my name—said it was because he's best friends with a parallel version of me."

Superboy crossed his arms. "This is crazy."

"I didn't want to believe it either," Red Arrow admitted, "but the more he said, the more sense it made. The Titans know things about the League, and members of the League, and me, that only insiders can know. Accept it."

"What do they know, specifically?" asked Batman, suspicions piqued.

"My name, for one."

"Well, you're no Robin when it comes to your identity," pointed out Kid Flash—rather hypocritically, since he was one of the most lax with his secret ID on the Team.

"And my favourite pizza toppings. And other things that only you guys would know about me." Red Arrow gestured at Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad. The other original 'sidekicks'. When these personal details didn't budge Batman's frown, Red Arrow soldiered on. "They know about the Watchtower, and they know enough about League systems to hack your database and satellite without you noticing. That enough proof?"

Robin's eyes widened. So they did hack the satellite. (And the database too. Ouch.) That was how the Titans knew they were at Mount Justice—they'd been tracking their own energy signatures. Robin was about to open his mouth to tell this to his mentor, but the look on the man's face informed him he'd already come to the same conclusion.

"The more proof the better," said Batman, turning away from his ward and back to Red Arrow.

"That's all I've got," Red Arrow replied. "Their Aqualad wouldn't tell me any details about their universe. I only got basic information before the Titans showed up and expelled me from their plane."

"Dark energy?" Artemis asked.

Red Arrow made an affirmative noise, and told them reluctantly, "Woke up in a ditch on the side of the road." That explained the mud. With a much-practiced movement, the archer reached in his quiver for an arrow. "Almost forgot—I did find something else."

A sharp arrow with green fletching, identical to the ones Artemis carried on her back. "That's mine!" she said. "I shot it at their archer in Blüdhaven, before he turned a corner. Pretty sure it was him—I saw a bow. It was dark, and I tried to... but then..." She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Got him in the arm, or maybe the shoulder. I couldn't tell. That means—"

"DNA. There's something on here." The male archer was inspecting the arrowhead. "A version of me from another dimension should have the same DNA, right?"

"Yeah, we kind of already know he's a match. He came in through our zeta tube." Robin jerked his thumb at the large metal portals. "Good effort, though."

"We should double-check, given the opportunity. It could prove informative." Batman held out a hand for the evidence, which Red Arrow conceded without so much as a grumble. Because when Batman reached for something, it wasn't a request. It was an order. "Now, keep talking. What are their objectives?"

"They crossed over from their universe in order to—" began Red Arrow.

Kid Flash flailed his arms and made an impatient, strangled noise—something between a yelp and a grunt— to gain their attention. "Wait. Hold up. Wait just one second!" That these words were coming from the mouth of the fastest boy alive was a testament to the absurdity of the situation. He pointed at Red Arrow. "Are we talking alternate dimension or parallel universe? You keep using both terms."

"What's the difference?"

Kid Flash took a deep breath. "See, alternate dimensions are actually more like—"

"The matter of most concern is why they're here," interjected Batman, before Kid Flash's spiel could build momentum.

"There was a jailbreak disaster, apparently," Red Arrow informed them. "A transporter device meant to pull criminals out of prison malfunctioned and sent them here. The Titans followed to round them up and send them back. They've been at it for a few weeks."

"So those energy signatures…" The surveillance feed was replaced with the signal map as Robin's fingers flew soundlessly over the glowing keys. The Titans were already leaving Happy Harbor at a fast clip. "They're from that device? And the solo dots are their criminals?"

"That could explain why one of the signals disappeared last night," Aqualad said. "They captured one of their targets—the one Red Arrow witnessed them fighting—and must have sent the criminal in question back to their own world."

"But, why didn't they ask for help from the League, or us?" Miss Martian wondered out loud. "We should help them!"

"I'm thinking they don't want our help," Robin said quietly, more to himself than anything.

"This is our universe," Superboy asserted, scowling at the Titans' signals. "They should have asked before they started messing around with it."

"Perhaps they felt bad about what happened, and they were hoping to complete their mission without us noticing they were here," suggested Aqualad.

"That's no excuse. They should have made their presence known to the League." Eyes narrowed, Batman slowly turned to Red Arrow. He must have noticed a slight change in the archer's stony demeanor the rest of them hadn't. "What do you know?"

"The Titans don't trust you," Red Arrow told Batman tersely. "Their Aqualad made that clear. Didn't say why, but he didn't need to. We all know exactly what you would've done if they came to you for help. You'd interrogate the hell out of them until you got every scrap of information they had to give, and even then you wouldn't trust them. Then you'd hold them back while you completed their mission—after all they've gone through to get here in the first place—because you'd only see them as kids. By going to you they'd be giving up their freedom, and most of their rights. And, from what I've seen—" He was gesturing with the arm that bore the still-healing claw marks. "—they don't seem to appreciate interference."

The already-thin line of Batman's mouth tightened further. He didn't deny anything Red Arrow had said, but it was clear his patience with the archer was running out, and running out fast. Red Arrow was lucky he'd brought them such valuable information, otherwise Batman might not be so willing to let his attitude slide.

Red Arrow added sharply, "It wouldn't matter to you that they're heroes. You'd still treat them like criminals."

"How do we know they're really heroes?" asked Kid Flash. "I mean, if they dislike the League that much—"

"I dislike the League," Red Arrow reminded him.

"Yeah, but— but— that's totally different! With the Titans, it's all pretty suspicious! I mean, they were attacking us and they— they broke into Mount Justice!"

"By the nature of their attacks," said Batman, "it's clear the Titans' intent was self-preservation. They didn't mean to injure you. They used non-physical means when possible." From Jinx it had sounded like a lie, meant to make them let their guard down. But now that Batman had voiced it, they all couldn't help but believe the theory.

"Like the stun bomb in Blüdhaven," offered Miss Martian.

"And the fake stun bomb in the hangar," Artemis added.

Even Red Arrow joined in. "And the knock-out gas in NYC."

Robin couldn't help himself. "Thought you made a 'strategic retreat'? How does knock-out gas play into that?"

"They never meant to hurt us," mused Aqualad, "simply keep us down so they could retreat."

"That psycho girl seemed ready to tear us apart," Artemis muttered to Robin.

"Just trying to intimidate us, probably," he whispered back.

Batman continued. "As for their infiltration of the Cave: You captured their teammate and their target. They were determined to keep their mission and identities a secret, and they knew the League's interrogation would discover both."

Eyes found the floor in embarrassment as the realization dawned on the teens. The people they'd been chasing and interrogating and throwing against walls and tying to chairs were, in all likelihood, heroes like themselves. The Team had been a bit… quick to the punch.

"So... they're not the enemy?" Kid Flash asked. "They're good guys?"

"They're like us!" Miss Martian said. "They were just trying to complete their mission, and we got in their way."

"And vice versa." As Red Arrow brushed some of the dried mud off his shoulder, Batman's files from before, still floating above their heads, caught his eye. He glared at the picture labelled 'Billy Numerous'. "Him."

"Know him?" asked Robin.

"Fought him in Star City last week." The dark look on Red Arrow's face warned them it was a tale he didn't care to tell. Which probably meant it was hilarious. Despite the pressing matter of the Titans at hand, Robin found himself exchanging a sly glance with Kid Flash. They would definitely have to pry that story out of Roy later. "Don't tell me he's one of theirs."

Batman gave a very slight nod. "From what we know, the Titans took him from his jail cell in Star City."

"I used up my whole quiver taking down that…" Red Arrow stopped himself. It was clear that whatever word he was going to use was one he didn't feel comfortable saying in front of the Batman. "And they bust him out of jail a couple days later."

"A couple hours later," Batman corrected.

"Even better," Red Arrow replied grumpily. He gave the Team a half-hearted wave. "Well, I'm outta here. Keep me informed on the Titans situation—there's a few things I'd like to say to Speedy if you catch him."

"Where are you going?" asked Robin.

"Got work to do. Someone needs to keep tabs on the Shadows, and it's clear you've got your hands full here."

"Still tracking Cheshire?"

"It's more than that. I have reason to believe they've been recruiting."

"We did lock up a bunch of their agents after the Fog thing," said Kid Flash with a hint of pride. "Guess they're feeling short-staffed."

Aqualad shook the archer's hand. "Thank you for your help, my friend," he said warmly. "The information you brought is invaluable, to say the least. We wish you good luck on your mission."

Red Arrow was already walking to the exit. "Yeah, yeah. You're welcome." He paused and looked back at the Team over his shoulder. He jerked his chin in Batman's direction. "Just don't let them push you around."

"So, what next?" asked Kid Flash, once Red Arrow's footsteps faded. The million-dollar question. The Team watched Batman, waiting for his verdict.

"Heroes or not, the Titans remain a threat," said Batman. "Confidential League information could be at risk, depending on how similar their universe is to ours and how much they know. We also need to find out more about the criminals currently invading our world. The Justice League will discuss what to do about the Titans."

Aqualad stepped forward, confident but respectful. "Send us after them."

"You're done here."

"We know we betrayed your trust. We know we should not have acted behind your back. However, youknow we are the best ones for the job. The Titans do not trust you. Confronting them and trying to gain answers by force will only result in further aggression on their part, as we have learned the hard way."

There. Right there. That was why they put Aqualad in charge. Even Robin would be hesitant to stand up to Batman right now, but Aqualad was cool and collected despite the half a dozen warning signs from the dark-cloaked man to back down.

It was moments like these that Robin found himself shocked at what an incredible leader Aqualad was becoming, right before their eyes. Sure, the Atlantean got pushed back a few paces by things like the mole debacle and the… the… exercise, but he always, always pulled through for them when they needed him most.

Batman regarded the teen for a few long seconds. "You think you can gain their trust?"

"We are not so different from them," Aqualad told him. (Robin couldn't decide whether that was an exaggeration or an understatement.) "We can reach out to the Titans in a way you cannot."

"I'll talk to the League about it. Don't hold your breath." But, while Batman was as unsmiling as always, he wasn't exactly frowning either.

oOo

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Somewhere between Gotham City and Steel City—_

Robin was brooding, that was a given.

He supposed he had every right to be upset with Beast Boy for his negligence, but he just couldn't muster up the energy for it. And in the long run, it didn't matter.

They were being tracked. That was the biggest blow. Not Red Arrow finding out that they were from another universe, and about their mission, and about who they were. (Robin couldn't be angry at Aqualad; he did exactly what he should have in that situation.) They were being tracked. That meant all of this would have come out into the open eventually—if not tonight, then tomorrow, or the day after.

The control room was quiet. Beast Boy was nervous and a bit groggy. Speedy was sullen over the loss of some of his arrows (which he'd stolen in the first place). Jinx looked like she might never speak again. Raven was her usual untalkative self.

Beast Boy seemed to think Robin was giving him the silent treatment, and couldn't take it. "Dude, it's not my fault!" he burst out suddenly. "The sensors malfunctioned or something."

"They didn't malfunction." Raven looked up from one of the small monitors embedded in the ship's console. "The scanners recognized the intruder as Speedy. That's why none of the alarms went off."

"You mean we fell for the exact same trick we used to trick them?" Speedy slumped back in his chair defeatedly and spoke to the ceiling. "Wow. Irony."

Robin's hands tightened on his knees in frustration. They had been in such a rush—there wouldn't have been time to recalibrate the defenses, even if it crossed their minds. And the ship was supposed to be invisible, hidden, safe. How could they have known the other heroes were tracking them?

"Cyborg would've remembered to adjust the security system," Beast Boy pointed out.

"We're not Cyborg," Raven said flatly.

The shapeshifter gave a glum sigh. "Robin, why don't you just yell at me and get it over with?"

Robin spun his chair around and regarded the younger boy. He paused for a few beats—during which Beast Boy started sweating anxiously—before answering. "I'm not going to yell at you."

"Should we call up the Tower, so you can yell at Aqualad?"

An angry vein pulsed in Robin's tense neck, but his voice remained level. "I don't want to yell at Aqualad."

Beast Boy scratched his head. "So... you're going to yell at Jinx?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't feel like yelling!" Okay, that came out a little louder than he intended.

"Jinx, what the heck were you thinking?" demanded Speedy.

The girl was sitting on the far left, turned so she was gazing out the side window at the typical forest scene of thick, tall trees they'd become so accustomed to. They couldn't see her face, only part of her reflection in the dark glass. "I guess I wasn't," she said slowly. "I'm sorry. Really sorry. It was stupid." There was a pause, and something shifted in her reflection. Courage was gathered. A decision was made. She got to her feet, her hand on her hip, and stared them down with every bit of supervillain spunk she still possessed. "I want to talk to Robin—alone."

Ignoring the raised eyebrows and expressions of disbelief from the rest of the team—who appeared to think it was ridiculous that their leader was letting himself be ordered around by someone he should probably be demanding to pack her bags and go—Robin followed Jinx outside. Frankly, he was glad to be out of the ship, which was stuffy with both resentment and the lingering smell of knock-out gas.

The hatch closed with a thunk of metal on metal, leaving them in a dark, seemingly-empty clearing. Out of habit, Robin scanned the shadows between the tree-trunks. No one was there. No enemies, and no League. Yet. When he was confident their surroundings were safe, he turned to Jinx.

"They're mad at me," she remarked.

Robin ran a hand through his hair helplessly. "Yeah, well..." There really wasn't anything he could do about that. After what she did, he had to admit they were entitled to their opinion. They'd get over it in a few days, maybe.

"Are you mad?"

"No." He couldn't blame her. If this universe were more different; if the Dark Knight prowled the rooftops of Gotham without his colourful partner; if Bruce Wayne had never taken a ward; if on that one unspeakable evening, those ropes hadn't... If that were the case, would Robin be able to keep himself away from what he lost, even knowing they could never really belong to him? "I should have noticed—"

Jinx cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Please. If I wanted to see him that badly, do you think you would've been able to stop me?" They judged each other in the darkness, both wondering the same thing. She gave in first (Robin always won staring contests—it was the mask.), looking at her feet as she kicked at the dirt moodily. "Don't play the understanding card with me, Robin. I know you're mad. I completely ruined the mission. Now they know who we are, and where we're from, and why we're here, and… I ruined everything."

"You said they're tracking us. Sounds like they've been onto us for a while—it was only a matter of time. Besides, we got Gizmo back." Speedy and the others did the transfer while Raven was fetching Robin. "One more down."

"You should send me back home, too. I disobeyed orders, deliberately. I know you'll all be happy to get rid of me."

"You're wrong."

"I mean it! Yell, shout—do something! I practically betrayed you! No, I did betray you! Send me back, suspend me, kick me off the team, lock me up, punch me!" She was challenging him, tense and ready for a fight. She was trying to get a reaction out of him, but he remained calm and unruffled, and that frustrated her more. "I deserve it all, just like I don't deserve to be on your team—because I'm no hero, that's for sure!"

"Jinx, this isn't HIVE Academy. I'm not Brother Blood." He saw her flinch at the name, even though she tried to cover it by turning it into a scowl. "You're with the Titans now, and I'm not going to punish you because you made a mistake. That's not how we do things."

"I screwed up," she asserted.

They all screwed up. Jinx abandoned them. Beast Boy let his guard down. Speedy got himself cornered. Robin… he held back while fighting that team. The only person who played their part perfectly was Raven, because Raven was… well, Raven.

"Yes, you did. But I'm giving you another chance." He kept his arms relaxed, his hands open, and his expression composed. No strings, he tried to tell her silently. No hidden catches. Patiently, he waited until her body language mirrored his own and she accepted that he was being honest. "You owe me an explanation. Why did you come on this mission? Was it because of him?" She'd known from the beginning there was a Kid Flash in this universe—they'd all known. Had she been planning to look for him this whole time, even if it meant blowing their cover?

Jinx shook her head. "I was hoping not to run into him at all, but once his team started chasing us and he was so close, I kind of got… carried away. I've been looking for some hint of him for so long that— I mean, they never found a…" She hugged herself tightly with her arms, unable to finish. "It just seemed too good to be true. And it was. That Kid Flash isn't him. I understand that now… I think I always did, I just lost my grip on it for a while. So, no, it wasn't because of him."

"Then why? Why didn't you say anything? We could've gotten someone else—"

"Because I thought the malfunction was all my fault!" Jinx blurted loudly, her pink eyes wide and stricken. "I thought that, in the fight, one of my hexes hit the portal and— and—"

Robin hadn't even considered that. It must have been eating away at her this whole time. "You felt responsible." That was something he could understand.

"I'm a bad person to be around, okay?" She leaned against the side of the jet (It looked odd, since it appeared as though she was leaning on thin air.) and banged the back of her head softly, but purposely, on the metal. "I'm one big curse. I cursed your mission, just like I cursed him. Send me back."

"If you want to go back home, you're free to. As long as it's not because you think we want you to leave. Because we don't. You're not a curse. You getting captured was based on your choice to go back, not your powers. And what happened to him wasn't your fault."

"I never told you about that night, did I?"

He crossed his arms. "You don't need to. I know enough." More than he would care to know. Madame Rouge had escaped from prison with a murderous grudge against the Titans… and two in particular. And when those two found out she was nearby, they went to apprehend her, thinking they could handle it themselves. They couldn't.

"I shouldn't have let Rouge sneak up on me. I should have known it was a trap. I should have—"

"Stop." The 'should haves' were a dangerous, self-destructive loop to get caught in.

"You know what?" asked Jinx. "I will stay. I have to, because she's here. I won't let her get her hands on him again."

"We won't. You won't be facing her alone." Nor should Jinx face her alone. Robin saw the fierce look on Jinx's face when she talked about the villain. He saw how her fists and jaw clenched. Jinx's betrayal of the Brotherhood, plus Rouge's retaliation and the utter lack of remorse the woman—monster—showed when the other Titans managed to hunt her down and lock her back in jail following that night, meant Jinx had found a nemesis in Rouge just as Robin did in Slade. And Robin knew that one's thoughts could become clouded with retribution to the point where it seemed like only the ultimate revenge would do.

The Titans would be there, with Jinx, when Madame Rouge was sent back to their universe and to prison, hopefully for the last time. Robin wished the villain could already be crossed off their list. She was too dangerous to be roaming around, but with the limited tracking available to them, and fact that she could be anyone, all previous attempts to find her had been in vain. The best they could do was get rid of the other criminals first, and hope that her mind and memories were too muddled for her to do any harm until they could focus all their energy on searching for her.

"I keep forgetting," Jinx said softly.

"That you're on a team?"

"That I'm a Titan. Sometimes it all seems so wrong. I just don't think that this—" And here she gestured at herself, at the spandex and the gold belt complete with a spare Titans communicator, at the sleekly tied hair. "—is me. I miss my dress, my socks, my old hairstyle."

No one had asked her to change. She'd done so of her own free will. The Teen Titans didn't have a dress code. "You can go—" Robin began, but she cut him off quickly.

"Go back? There is no going back, because I'm not that girl anymore, either. I don't know who I am. I used to think I was a villain, but he changed all that. When I was with him I was a hero, but now that he's gone..."

"If you want to know who you are, here it is: you're a Titan. You'll always be a Titan, no matter what."

"Like you wouldn't hesitate to lock me up if I went back to stealing."

"See, the thing is, you would never do that. Deep down, you know you're a hero."

Jinx wrinkled her noise in mock-disgust at his last remark, pretending to take offense, and then sighed deeply. "Nice words, Robin. He had nice words, too. There are times I really, really hate him for that. I was doing just fine and he sped into my life with his nice words that made me reevaluate everything. Then he did something so unbelievably stupid in the name of chivalry, and now he's gone and I have to reevaluate everything, again!" She made a noise in her throat—a scoffing laugh so weak it wasn't a laugh anymore. "But… soul-searching can wait until after this mission's over."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine. Absolutely fine." It was said with a savage determination, like she would make it be true by voicing it out loud. "I won't make any more stupid mistakes, I promise. And I won't try to fool myself into thinking that..." Her eyebrows knit together, as she briskly steered away from that quicksand and into a new sentence. "Point is, I've learned my lesson. And right now we need to worry about the League. They're tracking us, Robin. They know exactly where we are. What are we going to do?"

"I'm actually surprised we lasted this long," Robin answered. "If the League decides to come after us, then there isn't a whole lot we can do. We can't outright attack them..." Robin was so sick of fighting with the League. Both senses of fighting. "We can try to hold them off until we can run away, but then they'll find us again..." He shrugged uncertainly.

"Giving up? Thought you weren't the type."

"No, not giving up. Just trying to be realistic." They still had their ship, still had their freedom, still had a shot.

"It's not like we're criminals. Or, not all of us." Jinx smiled wryly. "They can't stick us in jail… for too long."

"Agreed. But it would be really..." Robin blew out a breath between clenched teeth, trying to think of the right word and failing. Was there even a word to convey it? He settled on one, just for the sake of conclusion. "...inconvenient."

"I'm not the only one here with demons, huh?" A line of light spilled across the forest floor as Jinx pulled the ship door open a crack. Before she opened it wider, she paused and told Robin casually: "He seems like an okay kid—when he's not throwing buckets of ice water at you and grilling you for information."

"Right."

"Are you coming inside?" She hung halfway out of the open doorway, one hand gripping the frame.

"No, I think I'll stay out here and keep watch."

Only when the hatch shut, and Robin was alone—with the ship camouflaged, he could fool himself into thinking he was alone—did he finally give in to it all and sink to the ground.

He was tired. The exhaustion from the past couple weeks had compounded and hit him like a brick wall. His limbs were heavy from running and kicking and punching and running; his eye still hurt from getting socked in Blüdhaven; his wrists still smarted from the ropes; he'd inhaled more smoke than could be healthy; he'd been mind-probed and nearly strangled; he'd doused a teammate's emotional breakdown; he'd faced his own past, literally; and to top it all off, the mission wasn't even close to over.

The names were recited in his head. Madame Rouge. Johnny Rancid. Killer Moth. Mammoth. Slade. And… the unknown. It was all uphill from here. He may have gotten out of Mount Justice, but there was another, seemingly unscalable mountain right in front of him.

He sat on the cool grass and appreciated the crisp, dark night air. The sky was clear and dotted with stars, and he found himself searching for one in particular.

oOo

—Dick Grayson—

—Sunday: The Batcave—

The next evening, Bruce told Dick of the League's decision.

As punishment for going on an unapproved mission, Dick had to do a comprehensive analysis on the utility belt and weapons he'd confiscated from his counterpart. It was more interesting than, say, washing the Batmobile (a typical punishment), since the weapons were pretty cool, and belonged to a parallel version of himself and all. But Bruce's expectations for the written evaluations verged on ridiculous. Every tool had to be double-checked and triple-measured and quadruple-tested with utmost care, and every detail—no matter how minute—had to be explicitly noted.

He'd taken two hours on those small, round devices alone. They were a lot more complicated than they seemed. It was simple to deduce that they were transmitters, but it wasn't until he'd spent a substantial amount of time inspecting the sophisticated technology under a magnifying glass that he figured out they were so much more. They were inter-dimensional transmitters. Crazy.

Add that to the in-depth mission report he'd spent the entire morning putting together, and there went the rest of the Boy Wonder's weekend. It was probably for the best—Sunday usually meant combat training with Black Canary, and she would not be happy that they lied to her and snuck out. Not at all.

The worst part was that he'd been suspended from patrol indefinitely.

For most of the day, Dick's only company had been the chittering bats, unseen in the dark crevices between the stalactites overhead. Alfred had been by a couple times, to bring a plate of sandwiches and cluck softly at the scattered mess of tools and papers that Dick was making of the metal worktable. The barely-touched sandwiches had been relocated to a far corner of the surface, out of his way.

Dick was intent in his work, hardly even looking up when Bruce finally came back late-afternoon from his meeting with the League. If Dick did the reports perfectly, then Bruce would have to reconsider the suspension. Dick had a feeling that particular punishment wasn't entirely set in stone.

Ever since Bruce returned, he'd been sitting in his chair in front of the computer, organizing his files about the Titans. Their backs were to each other as they worked on their respective tasks in comfortable, easy silence broken only by a few words now and then—Dick telling Bruce something about a surprising feature to one of the weapons, or Bruce asking Dick a specific question about last night's encounter.

Dick, glancing over every so often, saw reports on the first three missions when the Titans were a total mystery, surveillance footage from the Cave (he cringed in embarrassment when he saw the video clip of the Other Robin sneaking up on him and pulling that cape-tangling trick), and revamped analyses on the energy signatures that built on Wally's original notes.

There were also the DNA tests of the alternate Dick and Roy. Bruce paused on those for quite a while.

As Dick jotted down details about the 'birdarangs', he felt like the word 'MATCH' that shined brightly on the computer screen behind him was burning itself onto the back of his neck.

He'd always thought he was an individual. After all, there was no one quite like Robin, was there? If the opposite of injustice was justice, was the opposite of individual, 'dividual'? It sounded right to him, because he did feel very much divided. He was always a bit divided—it came with the dual-life of a hero—but usually his civilian identity and hero persona were kept in careful balance. Now they were being tugged in different directions.

One part of him—the Robin part—distrusted the Other Robin (Why was he hiding? What was he hiding? Why didn't he ask the League for help?) and wanted to get answers.

The other part of him—the Dick Grayson part—was just... curious. That other teen was an older version of him. They were related by something more than blood. It wasn't just their DNA that was the same. Their pasts, their experiences, their lives were the same. There weren't a whole lot of people who Dick could talk to openly. And now he was given a chance to be able to tell someone everything—even the misgivings and doubts he couldn't bring himself to tell Bruce—and have that someone understand completely.

In any case, both Robin and Dick needed to speak with the older boy.

"The League has decided to send the Team to talk to the Titans."

When Bruce said that, Dick was contemplating the second-last 'birdarang', and the announcement excited him so much that he nearly sliced his thumb open on the sharp bit of metal. "Really?"

"It was a close vote." Dick felt a warm, happy glow. He knew which side Bruce casted his vote for. "We're handing over the entire Titans case to you—the Titans and their criminals as well. It's the logical choice. We want to keep news of this inter-dimensional situation from leaking out, so covert operations will be necessary." The sound of constant typing accompanied Bruce's words. "Surprised?"

"A little." Dick opened the Titans communicator (Wally had been unhappy to part with that piece of evidence) and tinkered with its inner workings absentmindedly. The toy-like device might be more advanced than it appeared, but he wouldn't know. It emitted a shrill noise and self-destructed as they returned to the Batcave the night before, and so far all of Dick's attempts to decipher the melted and charred technology had ended in failure. "The entire Titans case?"

"It's been your case from the beginning. And the Team has dealt with more dangerous situations than this."

"Not since—" Weeks later, and trying to talk about the exercise still left his mouth dry.

"We thought you didn't feel ready. I knew you could handle it, but the others…"

"They weren't as okay. Yeah." He was so okay. He was okay to the point where the okay-ness hurt.

The computer keys ceased clacking as the man at the computer considered something for a moment. Not daring to turn, Dick pretended to be totally engrossed in the communicator until the clatter started up again. "You've certainly proved you're ready to go on more serious missions," said Bruce. "With or without the League's consent—or knowledge. This time, no withholding information."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to—"

"You did well, considering you had no idea who you were facing. Should have known better than to fall for that diversion, though."

"But, Bruce—there was a Speedy running around the Cave! I had to see it for myself. Besides, KF needed someone to bail him out, and… " Who was Dick fooling? Not the world's greatest detective, that was for sure. "You're right. That was a mistake." He'd spent hours detailing his many rash errors in his mission evaluation. "And I shouldn't have messed with the zeta tubes, either."

Bruce's voice was low, almost lost to the vast expanse of the Batcave. "I never said that."

Dick's team had seen the act of restricting the zeta tubes as paranoid. Only Bruce would recognize that Dick did it out of pure loyalty for the man who took him in, trained him, raised him; who was just as tied up in this Other Robin fiasco as he was.

"I'm calling the Team for a meeting to tell them the news," Bruce informed him. "Go suit up."

Good. Dick wanted to talk to Kaldur and apologize for the way he acted during the mission. He should have at least asked before hacking the zeta tubes. He hurriedly tidied up his worktable, sorting weapons and stacking papers. "Are we going after the Titans tonight?"

"No. They're in hiding. We need to wait for them to make a move."

"That might not be for days!" Who knew how long they'd be sulking and scared that the League would come for them the second they ventured from their mouse-hole? "Come on, we know exactly where they are."

"Your goal is to reach out to the Titans and gain their trust. Ambushing them in their hiding place is no way to accomplish that."

"Instead we're going to show up and help them take down their next baddie," Dick finished, realizing Bruce's plan before the man even voiced it. He had to admit that sounded like a lot more fun—definitely something worth waiting for. "Got it. That's why you're letting them piggyback on the satellite?"

"We need some way to draw them out," Bruce confirmed. "Now, hurry up and get in uniform. Let's get this meeting out of the way so we can go on patrol."

Dick turned and quirked an eyebrow at the man's back. "I thought I was suspended?"

Bruce looked over his shoulder at his ward, and Dick saw the smallest hint of a smile—on most people it would be less than a twitch. "You've been cooped up long enough."

Dick grinned back. He knew it'd been an idle threat. "Got that right."

"I'm going to need the help. Just got sent word about a new criminal—a thief—causing trouble in the east end." And once again, Bruce was all business.

"Shouldn't be any trouble for us."

How could it be? They were the protectors of Gotham—the Dynamic Duo. They were the perfect team. They were completely in sync, able to communicate with small gestures, or even just a look. That in mind, Dick couldn't help but wonder exactly what had been said between his parallel self and Bruce, in those short seconds the two were face-to-face.

The expression on Other Robin's face when he'd looked at Batman… Dick had seen it somewhere before. He couldn't quite place it. It had been on another masked face, he was certain. But he knew a lot of people who wore masks. And the person in question had been male, he was certain of that, too. But who? Someone close to him—a friend. Not Wally, or Kaldur… Hmm…

His list of questions grew longer by the minute. He was having trouble keeping track of them all. Hopefully, when he got his chance to talk to the other boy, he wouldn't get tongue-tied. There were so many things he wanted to find out.

Bruce read his thoughts like an open book, without turning from the faint glow of the computer screen where the word 'MATCH' was emblazoned over the specifics of the DNA test. "Dick, I want you to be prepared... You might not like what you find."


	11. Chapter 11

**.**

 **Chapter Eleven**

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Tuesday: Outside Steel City—_

Day three, and the Titans were still roaming free. Admittedly, they hadn't done much actual roaming. Instead they had waited on their jet for the inevitable Justice League ambush... that never came. Robin was rather offended: They'd been stood up.

In the days they waited, the Titans had gotten more and more anxious as they imagined exactly how the Justice League would apprehend them. Speedy thought the Flash would show up and rush them all to the Hall of Justice before they had time to blink. Jinx thought Superman would just lift their plane, with them inside, and fly it to the nearest prison. Beast Boy thought Martian Manhunter would surreptitiously replace one of them, infiltrate the plane, and capture the rest one by one. He had then proceeded to ask them all increasingly personal questions as tests, until Robin pointed out that Martian Manhunter could read minds to find out the correct answers and Raven got so annoyed that she threatened to hand Beast Boy over to the League herself.

Robin never joined in the hypothesizing. He knew precisely which League member would show up: Batman. Batman had seen him, and the man wouldn't rest until he had the Titans under his control—all their history, motives, and secrets filed away on his computer in the Batcave.

Just because Batman didn't strike right away didn't mean he had forgotten about them, quite the opposite. Robin understood how Batman thought—every Batman. He was waiting for the Titans to make a move, to venture out into the open, instead of chasing them and having them keep flying away.

The non-stop travel and nighttime excursions had taken their toll on the Titans. It had been nice—no,necessary—to have a bit of time to recoup physically and mentally, to let their bruises heal and their sore muscles ease and their minds resharpen. But that time was over.

They were done hiding. They were restless. They had a job to do.

Robin was perched on the edge of the overpass, his back against the cold metal railing. The only thing between him and a long fall into busy highway traffic was an outcropping of a few inches on which he balanced skillfully, leaning all his weight backwards on his heels.

"Are you sure you're okay on your own?" Raven's voice came from the communicator he held before him.

"Yes. It needs to be this way—if it's who I think it is, I stand a better chance of getting him to talk if it's just me. And you guys are more than capable of taking down Mammoth without my help."

"Any sign of the League?"

"Negative. You?"

"None. If they show up, we'll call you."

He nodded. "Good luck. Robin out."

He clipped the communicator back on his belt and scanned the cars zooming underneath him. The street was a river of light and noise. The swell and fade as each car screeched past formed a constant rhythm like ocean waves, and each glaring pair of headlights burned themselves on the insides of his eyelids.

As he waited, his thoughts turned to Slade. The villain had long since reached the east coast, and so had the mystery signal. Fortunately, the League hadn't locked them out of the satellite—no doubt part of Batman's plan to draw them out into the open—so the Titans hadn't lost their (meager) ability to track, even as they were being tracked themselves. Slade's signal journeyed from city to city with no apparent pattern...

Was he searching for the Titans? Should they confront him?

Robin had mulled over those questions, among others, over the past several days as he sat with his eyes fixed on the screen of the control room's computer, frowning in concentration, and watched Slade's message for new clues over and over and over again until he knew it by heart. Slade hadn't mentioned Robin once in it, but for some reason that felt like a bigger threat than anything. It was a taunt. A challenge. Reverse psychology. Or maybe Slade wanted him to think it was reverse psychology, when in reality he didn't care about Robin. Or maybe…

Or maybe Robin was reading too much into it.

He'd watched the message so many times that he began having the old nightmares. He would wake up gasping, in a cold, terrified sweat, with his blanket thrown to the floor from all his thrashing. His teammates never said anything outright, but he knew they noticed because Speedy had been yawning a lot lately and Raven would give Robin short, concerned looks. Robin wondered what he must've been muttering (Or had he been yelling?) as he slept, to make his friends that frightened to mention it.

Maybe Slade was searching for the Titans, but that would just make their job of searching for him easier. And they would confront him, but later tonight.

With every minute that slipped past Robin's anxiety wound tighter and tighter because with every minute that slipped past Slade got a better foothold in this world. But they couldn't face Slade unless they were as prepared as possible—the word 'trap' never left Robin's mind. Being prepared meant resting until they were at full strength, and it also meant collecting as much information as they could in order to avoid surprises.

So, later tonight it would be. First Robin needed one more question answered, and that was the identity of their unknown player.

The mystery signal spent most of its time in Gotham—where it was untouchable by the Titans, since Robin wasn't keen on entering Bat territory—except tonight it took a trip to Steel City. Seeing his opportunity, Robin followed. The satellite tracking wasn't precise enough, so he had to employ other means to pick up the trail. Tuning into the police scanner frequency on his communicator had brought a certain arrest to his attention, which in turn brought him here to this overpass, where he was waiting.

An armored police van approached. Finally. The cramping in his legs was only a couple minutes from unbearable. His muscles screamed in both pain and relief as he stood and stepped off the ledge, timing it so he landed dead-center on the back of the moving van, making no more noise than a pebble pinging off the exterior might. He dug the soles of his shoes against the smooth surface, orienting himself to the air buffeting him while the vehicle continued to hurtle down the highway.

This is wrong, a nagging voice informed Robin as he took the small laser-cutter from a pocket. Alarm bells were ringing in his head to match the pounding in his chest.

Wrong, as the acrid smell of melting metal hit his nostrils.

Wrong, as he dropped in a pellet full of knock-out gas, and waited for it to disperse.

Wrong, as he set the laser-cutter against the van's roof again, making the opening large enough for him to fit through.

Wrong, as the disc of metal clattered to the floor inside, and he landed soundlessly in a crouch on top of it.

Shrugging his cape off his shoulders, he straightened and let his eyes quickly and instinctively sweep the area. The plain, grey-walled room was completely closed off and separate from the driver's seat. Good. His eyes skimmed over the slumped, unconscious form of the guard. Good. (Wrong. All wrong!)

A voice spoke behind him. The exact voice he'd been expecting, with a computerized, metallic tone like nails on a chalkboard. Robin had hoped to be proved wrong, for once.

"What took you?"

Red X was casually sitting on the hard bench in the police van like he was riding on a city bus; like he didn't notice or mind the thick handcuffs around his wrists. The cuffs were attached to the leg of the bench by a chain so short that he wouldn't be able to stand, if he tried.

Robin felt the usual hatred boil inside him for the thief who wore that stolen suit. It was his suit. His design. His technology. From the tattered cape, to the delicate wiring of the teleportation system woven throughout the tight black fabric, to the filter in the skull-like mask that was the reason Red X was awake despite the knock-out gas. Each crime Red X committed, he committed due to Robin's help.

And now Robin was committing crimes to help Red X. The irony wasn't lost on Robin, and judging by the way Red X's mask shifted—he could only be smirking underneath—it wasn't lost on him, either.

Robin hated this. He hated the way Red X was looking at him, or at least the way he knew Red X must be looking at him since all he saw was that chalk-white skull. Robin wanted nothing less than to see Red X locked up, but due to these circumstances that would be the worst possible situation.

All the things Red X would happily share with the Justice League about his universe, about the Teen Titans… about Robin…

"You just gonna stand there, or are you gonna uncuff me?" Red X rattled the chains to get Robin's attention. "The driver'll notice soon that his buddy's not responding. We don't have time for your moral dilemma right now, kid."

His anger at Red X lumping them together as a 'we' silenced the nagging voice. No, not silenced. It was still there, it just couldn't be heard over the inner roars of outrage. (For now.)

And there was the fact that Red X was totally correct. The floor was humming from the vehicle racing over the road, but soon the driver would suspect something and the tires would screech to a stop. They could have a minute... or a few seconds. Not enough time to do the inter-dimensional transfer, and precious little time to break out. But he didn't need Red X, of all people, to inform him of that.

First things first: Finding Red X's power belt. That technology was dangerous, and he couldn't leave it behind. There was a square, steel chest in the corner, with a lid held tightly shut by three heavy-duty locks. Safe bet. He smashed the locks off one-by-one with his bo-staff (the fastest way), stabbing at their weakest points.

The belt, while not the original—which Robin had gotten back during the Professor Chang incident and now stored in a secure vault in Titans Tower—was a near-perfect replica. It was gunmetal grey, made of a material somewhere between iron and cloth. And, that was weird... Just by a quick look, he could tell the xenothium compartments were more compact; more efficient. Also, as he picked it up from the bottom of the evidence locker, it seemed lighter than he remembered.

It wasn't a decent imitation of the original. It was better than the original.

He turned back to face Red X. "I thought you were too good to get caught."

"Got unlucky; stumbled in a trap set by some archer with even less of a sense of humour than you, if you can believe it. Don't think I was who he was expecting... He didn't seem too happy to see me."

"Neither am I." Robin flicked out a lock-pick from the gloved index finger of his free hand and set to work on the thief's handcuffs. "They let you keep your mask on?"

"It doesn't come off easily—one of my improvements. Wanna give it a try?" Red X goaded.

An electrical device built into the fabric, to shock anyone who tried to remove it? The technology existed, certainly, but it was risky—especially around water. In any case, Robin wasn't falling for it. "No thanks," he said as the locks clicked. The handcuffs clanged to the floor by Red X's feet.

"My hero," Red X said dryly, flexing his freed wrists and standing. He stuck out a dark-gloved hand to reclaim his power belt from Robin, but Robin promptly stepped back and held it up out of his reach.

Robin glared at the thief. "Don't even think about it. If you want this—" He slung the power belt over his shoulder. "—then follow me."

"And you'll give it back?" asked Red X skeptically.

"If you answer my questions."

"All right, I'll play along. Lead the way."

Robin grabbed the rim of the opening he'd created on the ceiling, swinging himself smoothly up and out onto the back of the vehicle. The wind greeted him, trying to shove him back, but he stood steady as he gave Red X one second—no more than that—to catch up before launching himself off the police van. He made an arcing leap to the bus in the next lane. The roof of the bus was slightly rounded, more slippery. He kept his footing long enough to make his next jump. The hollow thuds of X's landings lagged by less and less with each lane they crossed. Robin kept one hand tightly gripping the belt over his shoulder, in case X caught up and tried to snatch it.

They alighted on the back a semi-truck going in the opposite direction, to take them as far from the police vehicle as possible. Robin stopped here, planting his feet firmly against the flat trailer.

Robin's cape waved in the wind like a flag; X's billowed like a cloud of smoke. They both stood steadfast, despite the strong push of the wind. The passing street lights caused their shadows to make sweeping cycles across the metal.

Robin had all the power here. In his possession was the essential piece of technology for all of Red X's weapons. Then why was he so on edge? Dealing with X always made him frustrated, and not just because this guy in the Red X suit was airing his dirty laundry, flaunting the old error he'd tried to lock away and forget about. It was also the condescending way Red X treated Robin, like he carried some small, golden secret that gave him immunity; like he had a finger on the scale, ready to shift the balance of power at any second; like he was the one calling the shots.

As though reinforcing this thought, Red X spoke first. "Gotta say, kid… Never thought I'd see the day where you'd be playing the criminal."

"I'm not," Robin snapped. His conscience was whining shrilly, begging to differ.

"What do you call that little break-and-enter back there?"

"I call it a detour," he retorted. "You're still going to jail, just not theirs."

"Not if I get that back." Red X pointed at the belt. "All I have to do is answer some questions and you'll hand it over, right?"

Not a chance. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Faking surprise, Red X clapped a hand over his heart like he'd been stabbed. "I'm hurt. I thought we had a deal."

"You aren't in any position to make deals."

The voice modulator lent a sinister quality to Red X's chuckle. "We'll see about that. I'll humour you for now, kid, since I like you so much. So, about those questions... Fire away." He made a gun with his thumb and two fingers and 'shot' it at Robin.

"Why are you here?" Robin demanded.

"Because you have my belt, and I'd like it back."

It wasn't like Robin expected Red X to make this easy. "Why are you in this universe?" he specified with as much venom as he could fit into one short question.

"Why should you be the only ones who get to have inter-dimensional fun?" Red X countered smoothly. Then he shook his head and gave a single, grating laugh. "Oops, I answered your question with another question. That's gotta be irritating."

"Fun?" Robin spat out.

"Probably not something you're too familiar with."

"How is this fun?"

"Consider it a vacation. Ever since you kids got so organized it's been harder and harder to try anything back home. Especially since you're keeping such a close eye on all the xenothium. Here it's different: No one knows who I am, and that means they have no clue how to deal with me. I'm not the guy in your cast-offs anymore."

"Except you did get caught," Robin pointed out, just a little smugly.

Red X waved away this pesky detail. "Another couple minutes and I was going to bust myself out. I didn't have money for a cab and figured I might as well take advantage of the free ride."

"You haven't explained how you knew about this world in the first place," said Robin, his voice darkening into full-on interrogation mode.

"You send the bad guys back, they go to jail, sooner or later they break out and start talking. And you've been missing for what, a couple weeks now?" X gave a lazy shrug. "Word gets around."

"So you just decided to break into our Tower and jump through the portal on a whim? You didn't even know if that technology was safe!"

"Safe enough for you. I've always been a risk-taker—all part of the gig. And I didn't break into your precious Tower. But it wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Here Red X gave a pause, watching Robin bristle at the barbed reminder of past mistakes. "No," he continued, "someone else did the breaking for me. Left the door wide open."

"To the Tower?"

"And to this." Red X spread his arms wide, as if to encompass the entire universe. "Thought I'd check it out when I noticed your front door get busted down while no one was home. It turns out that wasn't theonly door he left open behind him."

Robin still couldn't believe that Red X would take his chances with the portal, just because it was in front of him and left active, all for a little fun. He knew the thief must have some other goal in this world. But nothing Robin could threaten would pry the truth from X on that matter, since X protected his secrets as fiercely as Robin did his own. The best Robin could do was keep X talking, and observe him carefully for any sort of slipped reaction—a waver, or a twitch, or a careless hand gesture—that might yield information. "Had nothing better to do than keep tabs on us?" asked Robin, crossing his arms.

"What can I say? Things have been slow. I try to keep my eyes open for opportunities, and that was one opportunity I couldn't pass up. It's not every day you get a free ticket to visit another dimension."

"Or, you knew beforehand what Slade was going to do," Robin replied, jabbing an accusing finger in Red X's direction. "You knew he was building a portal, and you knew he was going to infiltrate Titans Tower to gain access to it. Which means you know what he's planning."

Was it possible for someone with a skull for a face to look bored? "Sorry, don't know and don't care. "

"You don't know what he's planning? At all?"

"No."

Even though he didn't want to admit it, Robin knew that was the truth. Red X was a lot of things—a slippery thief, a sometimes-ally, and a thorn in Robin's side—but if there was one thing he wasn't, it was someone else's pawn. He never worked for anyone but himself. He had no reason to protect Slade.

Robin's communicator chimed on his hip, and he scowled when he heard Red X's metal-toned scoff. What did he care what a villain thought of the Titans jingle? Robin personally liked it. He flipped the device open, keeping Red X in his field of vision as he did so. "Robin here. What's going on?"

It was Speedy this time, his tiny face on the tiny screen holding a tiny annoyed frown. "We sent Mammoth back," Robin's teammate told him, "but before we could leave—"

"The League showed up?" asked Robin.

"Not the League… that team. They didn't attack. They said they just wanted to talk."

"Did you?"

"Nah, we bolted. They looked like they were going to try and stop us—but against Raven, what can they do?"

Robin nodded. That team knew about Raven's powers from Mount Justice, but anticipating what she was about to do and being able to stop her were two different things. And really, sending teens after the Teen Titans? Like they would be able to gain their trust or something? What was Batman playing at? Wait, that was a stupid question—Batman didn't play.

The Batman that Robin knew also didn't send a bunch of kids to take care of his business for him, and Robin was very much Batman's business. Well, the Titans certainly weren't going to make friends with those other young heroes and let down their guards just to be double-crossed and dumped at the League's feet.

"I was right," Robin said to Speedy. "It's X. I'm sending him back ASAP."

"Hold up, Robin. There's something important you need to know. That team... There were two kids missing."

"Which—" At that moment they rushed under an overpass, the world flashing from light to dark and back again. Robin heard the twin thumps as two pairs of feet—one lightly and one not-so-much—hit the metal of the truck trailer behind him, sending vibrations his way. "Talk to you later, Speedy."

The two kids Speedy had talked about—Kid Flash and Kid Robin—were unfolding themselves to their full heights slowly, widening their stances and leaning into the wind as they adjusted to the moving surface. Robin had to do a double-take to be certain it was Kid Flash, since the black and grey uniform he wore was a stark contrast to his usual yellow and scarlet.

"Oh, this'll be good," said Red X, suddenly at Robin's side. Robin clutched tighter at the belt he was holding hostage.

"You!" The lenses of Kid Robin's domino mask narrowed at the thief.

Red X looked back calmly. "Me."

"You know him?" both Robins asked each other at once.

"We go way back," said Red X with satisfaction, socking Robin's arm in a way that might appear chummy, except the hit was hard enough to make him flinch.

"How do you know him?" Robin asked the kid, resisting the urge to rub his arm. It hurt enough that he predicted he'd have a bruise come morning. X was going to pay for that.

"He's been skulking around Crime Alley," Kid Robin informed him. "He's one of your criminals, isn't he? I thought the signal in Gotham might've been him, but we couldn't—"

"Couldn't catch me?" finished Red X.

"This is the guy you were talking about?" Kid Flash asked his Robin. "What was his name again?"

"X-Man," said the youngest boy brightly.

'X-Man', Robin mouthed to himself in disbelief, shaking his head. "Red X," he corrected. "And yes, he's my problem."

"He's in our universe, so he's kind of our problem too." Kid Robin gave his older self a friendly smile, which was matched by the speedster beside him. "Let us help you."

Before he refused, Robin looked aside so he didn't have to see the smiles break. "I've got this under control. You can go now. Please go."

"You busted him out of a police van!" exclaimed Kid Flash, flinging his arms in big, exasperated gestures. "How is that 'under control'? If you worked with us, you wouldn't need to do stuff like that. It's like you're trying to make things more difficult for yourself."

"You don't understand the situation we're in," said Robin.

"Yes, we do," Kid Robin asserted. "We know about the villains—"

"And the portal," added Kid Flash. "We know about that, too. That's why you guys glow, right?" He squinted at the inter-dimensional travelers through his red-tinted goggles, and then he frowned as his eyes veered more towards Red X. "Except... why is he way brighter?" he wondered aloud.

"We more than understand. We overstand," the younger Robin said with confidence.

"No, you don't." Robin sighed tiredly. "You have no idea." If they did, they wouldn't be pressing the issue like this. If they did, they would be running as far away as they could to avoid getting mixed up with the Titans.

"Then explain!" ordered Kid Robin.

"Either you explain right now, or we'll be forced to… uh… use force." Kid Flash gave a quick cringe at his own mess of words. "We're not letting you run away again."

Robin weighed his options. Work with these kids, which meant he would get to send X back, but give himself up. Or fight them, which meant he would have to fight both kids on his own, and possibly lose. He'd lose Red X, too, because the thief would undoubtedly slink away during the battle. And then there was option number three…

He tossed the xenothium-powered belt to Red X, who up until now had been watching the conversation like it was an incredibly entertaining play. "Catch." And Red X did, instinctively. That had to be why, because his eyes were wide and he seemed genuinely surprised. "You're going to help me," Robin explained.

Red X buckled the power belt around his waist. The scarlet, slashed 'X's on his palms, chest, and mask all glowed for a moment as the xenothium circulated through the suit. "What makes you so sure I won't ditch you? Can't trust me, remember?"

"The fact that you don't like owing me any favours."

"Got me there. And besides, I wouldn't miss this for the world. Any world."

"Why are you being like this?" Kid Robin demanded his counterpart. "We're just trying to help!"

"Don't need your help," replied Robin tersely.

"But you'll take his?" Kid Flash nodded in Red X's direction. "What would Batman say?"

Red X looked at Robin, and for once Robin couldn't even guess what expression lay under the mask. "Good question. What would he say?"

"That's it," Kid Robin stated. The glare on his face made Robin feel a pang of some strangled emotion he couldn't name. Because it was like the kid was trying on his father's shoes—that glare was ten sizes too big for him. He pointed at Robin accusingly. "You're aiding and abetting a criminal. That makes you one, too."

He sounded like the little kid he was.

Taking his teammate's lead, Kid Flash stood straight and tightened his hands into fists, ready for a fight. "Stop," he told Robin, "or we'll take you straight to jail. Do not pass 'Go'. Do not collect two hundred dollars."

"Well?" Red X asked Robin.

This situation was going to get a lot worse before it got better. But what choice did he have? "Go. But only restrain. Don't hurt them, or else—" Robin's sentence was punctuated with a pained grunt, since Kid Flash—who didn't seem to have the same hesitations about attacking Robin as Robin did them (but then again, speedsters weren't ones for hesitation in general)—charged with his super-speed and drove a fist into Robin's gut.

Fighting an opponent with super-speed was a rather new experience for Robin. Chances of his punches connecting were slim to none, he knew that. He also knew that this wasn't an ideal field of battle for a Flash—there just wasn't any room to run on this narrow trailer. Choosing to play up this advantage, Robin armed himself with his bo-staff to fend off Kid Flash with wide swings and try to hit him with a stunning blow to slow him down.

The other two fighters were circling and sizing each other up. Bright red throwing discs or 'X's were hurled, depending on who had the wind at their back at the moment, in attempts to make the other yield an opening for attack. The dangerously sharp objects flying past in Robin's peripheral vision made him frown. What had he told Red X about not hurting them?

One 'X'-shaped throwing star got carried on a gust of air, and Robin had to place a hand on Kid Flash's head and force him down so that the shard of xenothium didn't zing its way into his skull. Accelerated healing could only do so much.

Kid Flash thanked Robin by shoving him hard in the chest, sending him lurching back so that his heels hung over the edge of the trailer. He looked down, catching a glimpse of rushing asphalt and large tires that would have no problem crushing him flat. Gulping, Robin leaned inwards until he regained his balance and wasn't teetering precariously on the brink.

To the side, Kid Robin had found his opportunity for attack and was now using a throw technique ideal for larger opponents (a move that Robin himself used all the time), seizing Red X by the arm and dumping him over the side of the vehicle. The kid warily approached the edge and peered over, searching for his opponent. "Huh, he said finally, and glanced aside to Robin, who was still trying to defend himself from Kid Flash's much-too-fast hits. "Guess X-Man did decide to ditch you after all." Kid Robin dusted his hands briskly and grinned at his teammate. "Hey, KF! I'm taller than you."

"Barely!" Kid Flash yelled back, ducking one of Robin's kicks. "Now, are you going to help me out, or what?"

"Yeah, I'm—" There was a crisp fluttering sound in the air, different from the rumbling of tires or the gusting of the wind. A sound that Robin recognized as the teleportation function of the Red X suit. Kid Robin's head whipped up toward the source of the strange noise, and he threw himself to the side just in time to avoid Red X's attack from above. X's foot drove into the metal surface of the trailer, leaving a dent where the kid had been standing a second earlier.

The evasive maneuver brought Kid Robin to land in a kneel in front of his older self, just after Robin managed to catch Kid Flash with a spinning kick and sent the speedster stumbling backwards to Red X. Partner switch.

Both Robins looked at each other in shock for a split second, worried the other was about to pull some trick, then backpedaled and took defensive stances. They watched each other cautiously, searching with well-trained eyes for a chance to strike, and waiting to see if the other would attack first.

Red X was throwing more 'X'-shaped throwing stars at Kid Flash, which the hero weaved through easily with his super-speed—as easily as he dodged X's swift punch that came once he got close enough for X to switch to hand-to-hand combat. What Kid Flash didn't dodge was the sticky 'X' that hit him smack in the face, expelled from his opponent's other hand.

Blindly, Kid Flash stumbled about and tried to yank the gummy xenothium off his eyes. Speed was useless when you couldn't see. "Rob, I could use some help here!"

"Kinda busy, KF!"

Robin had tackled his younger self and was trying to pin the kid down long enough to fasten some handcuffs on him and then disarm him, but he was squirming like a fish. It took all of Robin's effort just to keep him from slipping free. At some point Kid Robin had gotten ahold of a razor-sharp, red throwing disc and Robin had to grab his arm to stop the kid from slashing him with it. And of course Red X was making no move to help Robin. Instead he stood with his arms folded and watched the entire scene with amusement, his skull-like face rolling side-to-side from the disoriented speedster to the two wrestling Boy Wonders.

Out of the corner of his eye, Robin saw the blind Kid Flash about to stagger off the vehicle. He shot Red X a warning glare. The glare was returned with a 'whatever, fine' shrug, and X reached out and grabbed Kid Flash by the collar before he plummeted to probable doom.

This distraction was all Kid Robin needed to wriggle free, kneeing Robin in the chin as he did so. They were back to square one, both standing with their arms raised, ready to strike. This time, Kid Robin chose to strike first, and darted at Robin with his hand clenched in a fist.

Robin dodged his counterpart's punch just as the semi-truck they were using as a battleground began a wide turn. Kid Robin stumbled too close to the edge, unable to counteract both his own momentum and the tugging force from the truck rounding the curve.

Springing forward, Robin dropped to his knees and reached for the kid's scrabbling hand just as it lost purchase on the metal. The jarring pain in Robin's kneecaps didn't matter—all that mattered was that Robin had succeeded in grabbing the kid before he got seriously hurt.

Kid Robin swung his dangling legs forward to plant his feet against the side of the trailer, his grip sliding up from Robin's hand to his wrist. Robin was about to pull and help him back up, but it became clear that the younger boy had other plans when he looked up at Robin with a wicked grin and yanked down on Robin's wrist, throwing him clear off the vehicle.

That little—!

Robin landed with a desperate tuck-and-roll that took him down the side of the embankment; through dirt, dry tufts of grass, and cans and other bits of litter thrown from car windows.

The other Robin gracefully launched himself off the side of the trailer, executing showy, totally unnecessary, gravity-defying flips as he floated to the ground, slowly as a leaf.

 _I can do that_ , thought Robin pettily, as his younger self landed in front of him with an air of pride.

They observed each other for a few tense moments. The kid would open his mouth to say something, only to snap it shut again. He seemed nervous. "I don't get it," he said eventually, gaze locked on Robin. "All we're doing is trying to help you."

"I already told you: We don't need your help. You're just…"

"Just what?"

"Just getting in the way." Robin couldn't keep the bitter edge out of his voice. Because it was true. Red X would be crossed off the list right now, if only those kids hadn't shown up. The thief had slipped right through his fingers. "If we needed help—if we wanted the Justice League to do our job for us—we would have asked from the beginning. We're trying… We're trying really hard to not interfere with this world, okay?"

"Well, news flash: Your secret's out!" Kid Robin threw his arms up in the air, then let them fall. "I thought that maybe, now that we know, you'd…" He trailed off, and after a brief pause switched to a business-like tone. "Working with us will speed your mission up. You'll have more people fighting on your side, and more resources. And you could start being a little more creet, instead of wasting time hiding from us and sneaking around."

"Creet?" asked Robin, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. Was the vocabulary in this world different, too?

"Opposite of discreet. See, I figured if like is the opposite of dislike…"

"The opposite of discreet is indiscreet. There's a word for it already."

Something flashed across the kid's thin, young face—hurt and disappointment and dejection—so raw that it left Robin with a feeling like he'd just kicked a puppy. And then, within a second, the kid let out a sharp humpf of a breath that snuffed out the flicker of emotion on his face like it was a candle, and assumed a Bat-standard mask of stoicism that went perfectly with his domino one.

Kid Flash skidded to a stop at his friend's side, the skin around his eyes very red from tearing off the xenothium blindfold. "We taking down this loser?"

"You bet," his teammate confirmed.

"Looks like your pal bailed on you," Kid Flash told Robin.

There was a sudden shuddering noise, both mechanical and ghostly, and Kid Flash whirled around as Red X flickered into existence behind him, like his own shadow come to life. "Look again."

The two kids threw themselves at their opponents—Kid Flash at Red X and Kid Robin at his parallel self—only to be dispatched by twin roundhouse kicks that sent them flying backwards to collide in mid-air. Red X raised his palm…

"Another cape ruined by this gunk," lamented Kid Robin. The sidekicks were bound back-to-back by a sticky, constrictive 'X', with their arms pinned to their sides. They sat on the grass—Kid Flash was fidgeting as he tried, and failed, to stand—looking up at their captors with annoyance.

Already, Kid Robin's fingers were reaching into a pocket on his utility belt, navigating by sense of touch alone as he put up a front of nonchalance that did not fool Robin for a second. Robin bent down and easily undid the buckle, the clasp mechanism similar to his own. Kid Robin opened his mouth to speak, but before he could make more than a protesting squawk Robin chucked the belt away.

"Is this revenge for us tying you to a chair?" Kid Flash asked the older Robin. "In our defense, we had every reason to believe you were an evil clone."

Ignoring him, Robin turned to Red X and gestured at the distant utility belt – which Kid Robin was watching with fixation, as though he could will it back towards him with his gaze alone. "We should have enough time to get away while they try to walk over to it." Sawing through the gooey, rubbery xenothium was a difficult task, even with the sharpest tools, so they had plenty of time.

Kid Flash looked up at Robin, eyes twinkling confidently in the face of a challenge. "Why walk when you can run?"

"No, KF!" cried Kid Robin, too late.

Kid Flash tried dashing to the belt with his super-speed. Him, together with the other boy strapped to his back, made an oddly-proportioned bundle. Without the use of his arms to steady himself, he lost his balance and tripped almost immediately after he stood. The burst of speed sent the two sidekicks rolling out of control down the slope. Kid Robin tried to grab the belt as they passed, only managing to brush it with the tips of his fingers before he rushed away from it.

They were halted by a dark shoe. Red X had teleported in front of them, and now looked down at the dizzy heroes, shaking his head. "Cute," was his verdict.

"Don't do that again," Kid Robin warned the speedster, "or I might throw up. And I can't guarantee it won't end up on you."

Kid Flash's face was pressed against the ground. He turned his head, sputtering and spitting dirt. "You know, Rob, for a kid who still doesn't meet the height requirement for most rollercoasters, you're surprisingly heavy."

"It's all the bulletproof fabric. But also 'cause you're a weakling," Kid Robin teased good-naturedly.

"Aqualad's never going to let us partner up again after this. We weren't supposed to fight him."

"You threatened him first! And it wasn't even a good threat! I mean, 'we'll be forced to use force'? Come on!"

"Well, sooorry."

Robin watched this friendly squabbling with a lost expression. It didn't make sense. Those two seemed so close. He'd known Kid Flash by that age—they'd met once or twice when he worked with Batman, before the Titans formed—but not well. Not like this.

"Speaking of Aqualad…" Awkwardly, Kid Robin managed to stretch his neck enough sideways so he could reach a finger to the communicator nestled in his ear. "Robin here." He listened for a moment before responding. "Yeah, ours didn't go so well, either." Another pause. "No… a lot worse than that. You should swing by with the bio-ship, instead of waiting for us at the pick-up point. We're in a bit of a sticky situation."

"Hardy-har-har," drawled Kid Flash. "And my threats are bad?"

Kid Robin didn't answer, because he was still listening intently to whatever the communicator in his ear was saying. "Roger that," he told the electronic, signing off. He noticed Robin staring at him. "What?" he asked with irritation.

Robin tore his eyes away, but he couldn't unsee it. This was exactly what the Titans were trying to steer clear of—the what ifs. All those taunting, haunting whispers of what could have been, if things were just a little bit different…

He needed to get away from them as fast as possible. He turned to X, except… X wasn't there. Where did he…?

"Let me guess," said a voice behind Robin, dripping with smugness, that made him spin around in alarm. "This is the part where you say you're going to send me back… But, to do that, won't you need this?" X was holding a utility belt.

At first Robin was struck by the mad theory that it was the kid's belt, except he could see that it was still lying in the grass and he suddenly realized that the usual weight around his waist was gone. The buckle was on the front, how did X…? Then he saw—it hadn't been unbuckled, it was slashed off. X had snuck up behind him and cut right through it with one of those xenothium throwing stars. Robin snarled and grabbed at the belt, but Red X stepped back smoothly, and he was definitely grinning under that mask.

It was clear Red X was enjoying this immensely. He wagged a finger in Robin's direction. "Ah-ah! If you want it back—" The thief slung the belt jauntily over his shoulder, the bright yellow clashing with his black and grey costume. "—then follow me!" He took off down the slope, disappearing into the dark cluster of trees at the bottom.

Robin knew this game. Red X was trying to lure him into a trap, knowing Robin didn't stand much of a chance without any of his weapons. Robin wasn't stupid. Well, actually he felt pretty stupid at the moment for letting Red X get the best of him, but it wouldn't happen again! He would make sure of that. The joke was on Red X—Robin still had a utility belt at his disposal, even if it wasn't his.

"Emergency override two," said his younger self abruptly, as Robin picked up the kid's discarded utility belt.

Sparks shot out of the belt and Robin was forced to drop it, his palm burning in pain even through his glove. And he'd already told himself he wouldn't fall for that…that trick was so Batman it hurt. And did it ever hurt—his hand was spasming, the nerves jumping in agony. Angry, he picked the belt up again and, ignoring the pain, quickly hurled it as far away from the sidekicks as he could. It landed out of sight, sinking into the mud of the ditch at the base of the embankment.

"That was just mean," said Kid Flash. He and his teammate were trying to get to their feet. The problem was, with Kid Flash standing up straight, that left the shorter Kid Robin's legs dangling above the ground. Kid Flash managed one tentative, shaky step before he tipped backwards. Once he fell he couldn't get back up again, like a turtle stuck on its shell with its legs waving frantically in the air. Underneath him, a squashed Kid Robin was making angry, muffled complaints into the grass.

Robin turned on his heel and left the hopelessly uncoordinated sidekicks in the middle of another attempt to stand up. Briefly, Robin wondered why Kid Flash didn't vibrate his molecules and free himself, but figured it might harm the other boy stuck to him.

"So, where to next?" Kid Robin's words called after Robin as he ventured into the copse of trees. "Or are you done for today? See you tomorrow night, then?"

Where to next? thought Robin as he pushed through thick brambles and kept his eyes and ears on high alert, scanning the shadows for the thief who would blend in with them so well. Where to next? He was supposed to go after Slade next. That was the plan. But how—how?—could the Titans confront Slade, if that other Robin's team would show up? What if it was a trap, and those kids fell right into it? It would be a disaster. An absolute disaster. Robin would never, ever forgive himself if they—or any of the heroes of this world—got hurt.

None of these heroes knew how to deal with Slade, only Robin and the Titans stood a chance. They had past experience fighting him. They knew the most about him. Robin especially, because of the whole apprentice disaster. (And sometimes Robin doubted whether Slade had truly dropped that particular goal…)

Even more reason to keep those other heroes out of this: the other Robin. The kid could never, under any circumstances, meet Slade. Robin clenched his teeth as he brushed another tree branch away. He didn't even want to think about that.

He couldn't allow Slade to remain free in this world, but he couldn't go after Slade and stop him if those kids would tag along.

What was he supposed to do?

The rules were carved inside his skull from years of training and experience. Robin couldn't be at a loss for what to do, even in the most dire of situations. He was too well-trained, well-programmed, for that. The answer to that question always came to him automatically:

Prioritize. Make a list. One thing at a time.

He needed to deal with X. And then he needed to meet up with his team. And then he needed to figure something out with them, some way that they could convince those other teens to leave them be.

One thing at a time.

Robin emerged from the trees, blinking at the bright, moving lights of another highway. He found Red X leaning against the leg of a large billboard, swinging his utility belt in slow circles with one hand.

No mood. Robin was in no mood for this. "Give. It. Back. Now."

"You want this back?" Red X held up the belt and swayed it back and forth like a pendulum.

This idiotic question was met with a glare.

"Maybe we can help each other out, then," said Red X. "Turns out, I want something, too. So, we're going to make a deal. A real one, not like the backstabbing stunt you pulled earlier."

Robin grumbled poisonous things under his breath.

"Here's the thing: I don't intend to stay in this universe forever. I already told you it's just a little break. I do want to go back—but!—not yet. I've got some stuff to take care of. And don't you have better things to do than chase me around?" Robin's deep frown served as an answer for that question, which was arguably more idiotic than the earlier one. Red X kept talking. "Leave me for last. Catch all your nasty villains, but let me have my fun until you're done with your mission."

"You think I'll stand idly by and let you interfere with this universe?"

"Yes, I do," replied Red X. "Face it, as much as you don't like me, you know I'm nowhere near as bad as them. Selfish, remember? Not evil. Why waste your time stopping me from robbing a few safes when you should be stopping them from... Well, you can imagine. So, do we have a deal?"

Robin didn't respond. His silence seemed to be all Red X needed to hear. He couldn't help but agree with logic, but at the same time he could never admit that Red X was right, at least not out loud.

"If I let you go now," Robin said slowly, "then later you'll come without a fight?"

"Never said that. We gotta keep up appearances, after all."

"Why are you spending so much time in Gotham?" he asked. The question had been bugging him for days, and he couldn't let X go without asking it. "Because you get a kick out of annoying Robins?" he added bitterly.

"Yes, Boy Wonder. It's all about you. My sole purpose in life is to give you a hard time." Even with the voice-modulator, the sarcasm was crystal clear.

"You keep saying you're only here to have fun, but we both know that's a lie. Why go to all the effort of stealing if you won't be able to bring anything back with you to our world?"

"Maybe I'm a bit of a Robin myself. A bit of a Robin Hood."

"Don't make me laugh," Robin shot back. Because really, the idea of Red X actually doing good by giving to the poor like the hero of legend could only be more ridiculous if he started wearing green tights and a hat like the one Speedy used to have.

"Gave up on that a long time ago." Red X sighed, a sound like the hissing of car exhaust. "But, you're right. I'm just a low-life thief, aren't I? Only looking out for myself." X was using that tone again, the tone like he was hinting at something just to be pleased when it went right over Robin's head and left Robin reeling in frustration.

"I don't understand your motives here, X."

Red X gave his last words before tossing the utility belt at Robin's feet and teleporting away with a flicker. "Kid, when have you ever been able to understand my motives?"


	12. Chapter 12

**.**

 **Chapter Twelve**

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Thursday: Brick City—_

Robin sprinted over the railway tracks after Johnny Rancid, mindful of where he placed his feet to avoid an embarrassing trip over one of the steel ties. The last thing he wanted was to bust a wrist like the last time he chased after that greasy, tattooed punk.

A sleek, green cheetah overtook Robin, following Rancid as he cut to the right and darted out of sight between motionless train cars.

Beast Boy, back in human form, was alone and looking around blankly when the rest of his team joined him. "I have no idea," he said, answering Robin's question before the leader asked it.

There were too many places to hide in the dark, derelict train yard. Large cargo crates, old boxcars, broken machinery left to rust. And everything was covered in neon graffiti, so bright that it appeared to be burning before their eyes. On the side of a parked train, the words JOHNNY RANCID in fiery red letters spanned several boxcars.

"Split up," Robin told his team. "Find him."

Speedy scaled a stack of crates in a quest for higher ground and a better vantage point. A green bloodhound had its nose pressed against the ground, sniffing busily to pick up a trail. Jinx was walking bent-double as she peeked through the gaps between train cars and tracks for the criminal's feet.

And Raven was…

"Robin."

Right beside him. He started, surprised at finding her suddenly so close to him. She was one of few people who were capable of sneaking up on him like that.

Raven was casting her gaze around the area with a calm focus that told Robin she was searching with more than her human senses. "Do you know where he is?" Robin asked.

"He's definitely here somewhere. But I can't pinpoint his location, because there's—"

Alarmed voices cried out in warning, as a backdrop for the vicious laugh behind Robin. "Take that, Bird-Boy!"

Turning sharply, Robin found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Not for the first time in his life.

Several shots were fired with explosive bangs. Robin grabbed a fistful of Raven's cloak, trying to drag her with him out of the way, except he knew he wouldn't be fast enough. Raven lifted her arms, trying to conjure a shield to protect them, but Robin knew she wouldn't be fast enough either. He braced himself for impact. This was going to hurt.

Robin or Raven may not have been fast enough, but Kid Flash certainly was. That other team of heroes had been hiding in the train yard this entire time, waiting for the right moment to jump out. Apparently, now was that moment. Robin had known they were there, of course, and he was pretty sure their presences were the reason why Raven hadn't been able to pinpoint Rancid.

A black-spandexed human cannonball bowled Robin and Raven over. The three heroes skidded to a halt in the sharp gravel, a tangle of cape and cloak and limbs. The paint pellets aimed at Robin and Raven splattered with violent force against the flat metal of the train car they had been standing in front of before Kid Flash ungraciously tackled them, leaving starbursts of fluorescent green and yellow.

Johnny Rancid's primary objective was always baseless destruction. Without whatever connections he had in their world that allowed him to build gigantic, weaponized robots, it seemed that the criminal had resorted to petty vandalism… with a paintball gun. A high-tech, souped-up paintball gun that heavily borrowed traits from rocket launchers and machine guns, and had near-unlimited ammunition. And when the Titans had shown up to put a stop to it, Johnny decided they would make for ideal target practice.

The Teen Titans were not happy. They were a lot more colourful than usual, and they were covered in stinging welts, and they were not happy.

As Robin pushed the speedster off of him and Raven went intangible to extricate herself, disappearing in a whisper of cold magic and dark wings, he wondered whether he would've been better off getting shot. Sure, that paintball gun Johnny Rancid was toting caused a significant amount of pain, but being charged by a Flash at full-speed wasn't exactly painless, either.

Robin didn't see the rest of the other team come out of the woodwork and fight Rancid, since he was busy untwisting his own cape from around his face, but he heard it: the criminal's loud jeers turning into yells of frustration and pain that clashed with the sounds of whizzing projectiles and crackling electricity.

It was over before Robin regained his sight and his footing. Johnny was out cold. The alternate Aqualad and Superboy were standing over him. Green Arrowette was lowering her bow. The alien girl (Robin remembered his alternate self calling her 'Miss Martian', back at Mount Justice) was floating by her teammates, with Rancid's paintball gun suspended in the air beside her.

They all looked immensely pleased with themselves.

Kid Flash zoomed forward and snatched the hovering paintball gun from Miss Martian's control. "Souvenir!" he claimed. "Hey, Rob. We're totally going to have a paint— Uh… Rob?" He looked around for his missing friend. Each of his teammates shrugged when he met their eyes. "Oh, great. Ninja thing. Right." His attention returned to his souvenir. "I wonder what this switch—"

The weapon bucked uncontrollably in his hands, firing round after round after round of multi-coloured paint pellets and knocking Kid Flash off his feet. Speedy was shot, and went flying off the crate he was standing on. So was Beast Boy, and the hit propelled him backwards to smash his head against a nearby boxcar. The clunk of skull against steel made Robin wince.

Kid Flash let go of the spastic souvenir, which spun on the concrete as it continued automatically firing. The gun gave a metallic crunch under Superboy's boot, and he scowled when the resulting puddle stained his sole in a rainbow of colours, muttering something like, "favourite pair."

The speedster hunched in embarrassment as his teammates yelled at him silently, using what Robin assumed was the same telepathic link they'd used to communicate at Mount Justice.

Raven was floating beside the dazed form of Beast Boy, who was lying on the ground in pain and trying to grab at the hem of her cloak. He was talking—Robin was too far away to hear the words but he could see Beast Boy's lips moving. Raven seemed beyond exasperated. Her eyes found Robin's. He was no telepath, yet he found that he could read her thoughts quite clearly: Get over here right now so I don't have to deal with this alone, or so help me...

Robin let out a long sigh. If this was the kind of help those heroes were trying to offer, he would pass. He gave them a withering look, tossed Jinx one of the button-sized transmitters, and then turned and trudged towards Raven and Beast Boy.

Robin walked past Speedy. The archer lay spread-eagled on the gritty ground, one hand clutching his bow. Electric-blue paint was splattered on his shirt, right over his gut.

"Ow," Speedy announced in monotone, staring up at the hazy, light-polluted night sky, and then he rolled over and got to his feet. He started collecting his scattered arrows, until a black blur did circles around him, almost knocking him off his feet again. The blur halted, revealing itself as a smiling Kid Flash, who then shoved the arrows he'd gathered into Speedy's arms.

"You're welcome," said Kid Flash brightly, before zooming off.

Robin spared a backwards glance to see the ridiculous, photo-worthy look of incredulity and rage frozen on Speedy's face.

Beast Boy was still lying on the ground when Robin walked up, and Raven was still looking very, very unamused. "What's—" Robin began, only to be cut off by a shuddering gasp from his downed teammate.

"I think this is the end for me."

 _For crying out loud_. Robin nudged the other boy with his foot. "Get up, Beast Boy. Come on."

Clutching his chest where the fabric of his uniform was stained heavily with fluorescent orange paint, Beast Boy gave a loud groan. "I don't have much time left, but I want you guys to know—"

Raven rolled her eyes at his theatrics. "Cut it out. You're not dying."

"Raven, it's okay. You don't need to act brave for me," Beast Boy rasped.

"For the last time, you're completely fine," she stressed, patience waning. "It's paint, not blood."

To their relief, the truth seemed to get through to him. "Oh, right. I knew that." He was bleary-eyed as he stood up shakily, one hand planted against the boxcar for support.

"He did hit his head," Robin reminded Raven. They both watched warily as their possibly-concussed friend swayed on the spot. "No wonder he's a bit confused. Beast Boy, quick: what's eight plus seven?"

"Uhh… four—wait, sixteen! No, fifteen. Fifteen."

Raven raised in eyebrow in surprise. "He got it right," she told Robin. "Maybe there is something wrong with him."

"Could be a lucky guess?" asked a new, young voice.

They all flinched in shock at the masked boy who suddenly appeared beside them, as quietly as a ghost. Another one of the few people capable of sneaking up on Robin: himself.

"Holy Ninja, Robin!" exclaimed Beast Boy, gawking at Kid Robin, who gave a smile and a modest shrug.

Kid Robin watched curiously as Raven's hand, glowing softly with healing energy, brushed the back on Beast Boy's head. "It's just a bump," Raven said after a moment. "He'll be fine." She flicked Beast Boy on the forehead with her fingernail. "Quit milking it."

There was a sudden flash of scarlet light, followed by cries of outrage.

"A little warning would've been nice!" groused Green Arrowette, rubbing her eyes. The teens on the other team were blinking rapidly to dispel the after-glare of the inter-dimensional transfer from their vision.

Jinx was putting her communicator away. She looked up from the ground where Rancid had been lying unconscious just seconds earlier, and mouthed words at Robin that he could make out even at a distance. One more down.

Kid Robin poked Robin hard in the arm. "What?" Robin asked the kid in annoyance. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just… I thought I'd be a lot taller." Robin's glare seemed to bounce right off him. "So, are you guys going to run away now?" Kid Robin asked.

"No."

"Great! In that case, Aqualad wants to talk to you. Follow me!" And Kid Robin took off towards his team.

Aqualad? Robin walked back to the others, flanked by Raven and Beast Boy. Now that he thought about it, he realized that Aqualad must be the other team's leader. Robin hadn't even considered who the leader might be, but now it seemed obvious. Robin's second guess would probably be the Superboy, or maybe Green Arrowette. From what little he'd seen, Aqualad seemed the most mature. Robin supposed he should thank his lucky stars that neither Kid Robin nor Kid Flash was the leader, after his less-than-stellar attempt at talking to them a couple days ago—maybe he stood a chance of making Aqualad see sense.

"Hi, Older Robin!" greeted Miss Martian as he approached. "Where were you last night? We were hoping to talk to you again, but…"

"We had some complications," he said tersely.

He didn't want to think about it: a whole day wasted because Titans Tower had gone unresponsive. It had been like Friday night all over again, except this time they didn't get a call back until morning. It turned out Control Freak and some nerdy online friends decided it would be fun to hack the Titans' TVs in order to suck the heroes into one of their favourite movie series, so they could watch the Titans fight for their lives as the main characters.

Titans East (along with Cyborg), South, and North had spent hours upon hours battling evil wizards, since the only way to return to the real world was to live through all eight movies in their entirety. Seeing his friends' tired faces when they finally made contact had caused Robin to wish he were there instead of here—not for the same reason as Beast Boy, who claimed he would pay money to have seen Cyborg with a beard like the character whose role he had taken on; and not for the same reason as Speedy, who was apparently a closet fan of the series and grumbled that he would've been a better choice for Aqualad's character's best friend than Hot Spot, but because it hurt Robin to think that his friends back home had been in danger and could've used his help.

Robin's team of Titans hadn't been able to go after any villains—with no one manning the portal on the receiving end they couldn't send the bad guys back, they hadn't wanted to risk keeping one on the ship a second time, and being so distracted and fraught with worry would have made it too easy for someone to get the jump on them—which meant Slade got another day free to do whatever he wanted, while they were stressing and waiting desperately for any scrap of news.

Robin needed to go after Slade. His frustration was at boiling point, burning away inside of him, and if he didn't get to punch that eyesore of a mask soon then he might explode. But to go after Slade he first had to somehow persuade these other teens to leave them alone. With words, not fists.

Well-meaning as they were, these heroes were just another barrier between the Teen Titans and going home.

Robin turned to Aqualad. Leader to leader. "What do you want?"

"You are not going to run from us?" asked Aqualad.

"Not yet. We want to know why you're following us everywhere. We're getting tired of it."

"We want to ask you a few questions, if that is all right."

Robin frowned. "Like what?"

"Who you are, what you're doing here, etcetera," said Kid Flash breezily.

"You know who we are: we're the Teen Titans. You know what we're doing here: we're taking back our criminals. And we would have an easier time doing it if you stopped bugging us and let us do our job."

"We're not bugging you," said Kid Robin. "We're helping you!"

"We don't need your help." How many times did Robin have to repeat himself before that team would accept it?

"Right. Looked like you were doing just fine against punk-guy. Digging the costumes, by the way." Green Arrowette eyed the heavily paint-splattered Titans. "More colour is exactly what you needed."

Robin glanced down at his uniform, on which neon yellow drowned most of the green as a reminder of how many times he'd gotten shot. "We would've been able to defeat him on our own," he maintained. "Besides, your helping almost gave Beast Boy a brain injury."

"That implies that he has a brain," Raven deadpanned.

Kid Flash and Kid Robin laughed at this, but covered it with fake-coughing and throat-clearing when Aqualad shot them both a stern look.

"We apologize," said Aqualad gravely.

"We're really, really sorry about that," Miss Martian piped up, pressing a hand over her heart in a sincere gesture. "Kid Flash didn't mean to. It was an accident."

Kid Flash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, an accident. Sorry." To his credit, he did look incredibly apologetic, frowning and keeping his eyes trained meekly on his feet.

"Just leave us alone," Robin said. "If you don't…"

"Bad things will happen," finished Beast Boy quietly.

"Is that a threat?" asked Green Arrowette, placing a hand on her jutted hip.

"No," Robin assured her seriously. "It's a warning. Listen—these people, these bad guys, are dangerous. We've fought them before, so we should know. They need to be sent back as soon as possible, and—"

"If that's so important," Kid Flash interrupted, "then quit being so stubborn and let us help you out!"

"It's bad enough that we couldn't stop them in time, and they ended up in this world… We don't want anyone else to get hurt while trying to fix our mistake."

"But, we don't want you to get hurt either," said Miss Martian. "What if—"

"We were doing fine until you started following us," said Robin. "There's only a few left—we've sent back over a dozen already. Leave us alone for a week or two, and then it'll be like we, and our bad guys, were never here."

Aqualad's answer was immediate. "We cannot do that."

"Sure you can," Jinx retorted impatiently. She waved her hand airily as though to dismiss them. "Go home, relax, and let us do what we came here to do."

Superboy crossed his arms. "We can't. Our mission is to bring you to the League, and we're not going to give up and fail." His team looked at him with shock for revealing their true intentions, and he shrugged back at them with a scowl. "They're not buying the act. What's the point of acting nice?"

"He's right," Speedy told the other team. "It's not going to work."

"If we can't gain your trust, then we can go back to Plan A." Twirling a sharp arrow between her fingers, Green Arrowette watched the Titans while provocation flashed in her heavy-lidded eyes.

There were a few tense seconds, where both sides wondered whether empty threats would be enough to spur the other to cast the first stone, or birdarang, or arrow. Robin, feeling his team's eyes upon him, looked at them and shook his head. They weren't here to battle the other heroes.

Similarly, Aqualad motioned for his team to stand down. "Our orders are not to fight you," he told the Titans. "But if we do not follow through with our mission, the Justice League will decide to confront you themselves. With every refusal of help, you cast further suspicion on your intentions. They are becoming more inclined to think of you as a threat."

Speedy smirked darkly. "You can tell your Justice League to shove a—"

"Quiet!" growled the Superboy, eyebrows knitted in concentration. His eyes were shifting back and forth as he searched for something. Everyone was watching him and waiting with bated breath.

"What is it?" Robin asked finally. But the question was pointless because even as he was asking it, they appeared. Dozens of them, cropping up all around the heroes. Appearing out of nowhere at the most inopportune of times, as usual.

Dark masks, featureless except for the eyes and circle of orange. Black and grey uniforms. Unmistakable Slade-bots.

They were like cockroaches—the way they hunched and scurried, the plates of armor they wore, and how they became tougher and tougher to crush with each encounter. Through trial-and-error over the years, Slade had used the knowledge he'd gained about the Teen Titans to improve upon the droids. As a result, they weren't the jerky, slow pushovers they'd once been.

"Titans, go!" called Robin, extending his bo-staff with a click and leaping at the nearest Slade-bot.

"How does he have all these built already?" Raven asked Robin. Using her telekinesis, she lifted one in the air, squeezed it into a ball, and threw it so it knocked over more droids like bowling pins.

"Don't know." A Slade-bot trying to sneak up behind Robin got the brunt of his bo-staff in the chest, eliciting a satisfying crunch. "But I know how they're going to get destroyed."

Unlike the Titans, who sprang into action without pause, the other team seemed stunned and confused. They were wide-eyed in horror, not at the robotic henchmen, but at the savage way the Titans were beating them—Raven, crushing opponents flat under anything she could grab with her powers; Speedy, using explosive-tipped arrows without reluctance; Beast Boy, turning into a T-rex and snapping enemies between his teeth.

Kid Flash rushed forward, grabbing Jinx's arm before she could end a Slade-bot. "Stop! You can't kill them! They're—"

"Robots!" she yelled, snatching her wrist from his grip so she could use her freed hand to gesture pointedly at the mangled Slade-bot that fell from the T-rex's jaws, the wires spilling from the split outer shell proof that it was inanimate. "So yes, we can."

Beast Boy paused in human form, spat out some computer chip fragments, and glanced over at the other team. "Uh, so if you guys wanna help us… now's probably a good time?"

Relieved that the Teen Titans weren't murderers, the heroes looked at their leader, who nodded once, and then there were green arrows flying through the air along with Speedy's yellow ones. Slade-bots were lifted and thrown by Raven's magic or Miss Martian's telekinesis, struck with waves of pink energy or torrents of water, and smashed into the gravel by various vicious green animals or Kryptonian strength.

"Lasers! They've got lasers!" yelped Kid Robin, ducking a beam of red light from one of the robots' handheld blasters and countering with an explosive throwing disc.

Immediately after delivering a final, devastating blow to a Slade-bot with his bo-staff, Robin tensed, overcome by the feeling that eyes were fixed on him. No, not eyes. One eye.

Slade.

Slade was standing atop a boxcar like a bad omen. Their gazes met for a split second. Slade turned, ran to the edge, and dropped out of Robin's sight.

A jolt ran through Robin like he'd been hit by lightning, and then he was running, heedless of his friends or the battle he was supposed to be fighting with them. All that mattered was catching Slade, fighting Slade, stopping Slade. A Slade-bot blocked his path, so he leap-frogged over it, planting a foot on the back of its neck and springing off for an extra burst of speed and to send it crashing to the ground.

Slade was running ahead of Robin, fast enough that Robin couldn't catch up but not fast enough that Robin lost him. Slade wasn't trying to get away, Robin realized as his quarry drew him away from his friends and the battle, and led him towards an empty area of the train yard and a pair of train tunnels, veering towards the left one.

He's leading you into a trap, Robin's training told him. At times like these—when he was alone in the dark with enemies lurking nearby—his thoughts sounded more like Batman's voice than he cared to admit to himself. Don't let him dictate the terms. You're making a mistake—

I don't care! he screamed at his common sense, his past experiences, and every instinct that was begging him to reconsider. Trap or not, he couldn't let Slade escape. Not this time.

And so he chased Slade into the darkness of the tunnel. Robin's teammates would be shaking their heads at Robin's obsession and Batman would be gritting his teeth at Robin's stupidity and Slade was likely smirking under his mask at getting Robin exactly where he wanted him.

Robin was almost within arm's reach of Slade. He reached out, but the man quickly darted to the side and disappeared into an opening on the tunnel wall that Robin wouldn't have noticed otherwise. It was a narrow passage connecting the two tunnels. Robin followed, unable to see Slade in the pitch-black corridor but knowing that he had to be just ahead.

The second tunnel was exactly like the first, lined with concrete and lit by the small emergency lights that hadn't yet burnt out. The glow they emitted was a dim, dirty orange that pooled on the walls but was too weak to reach the floor. Robin waded through the darkness cautiously. There was no one else here.

He stalled, tilting his head side-to-side and listening. He heard rapid footfalls made faint by distance, only the echoes reaching his ears. Sounded more like the clapping of raindrops than sprinting feet. Had Slade discovered a hidden path and backtracked?

Robin turned to go back the way he came, but his eyes narrowed as he couldn't shake the crawling feeling on the back of his neck that told him something wasn't right…

The shadow on the wall tipped him off. Movement darted over the stone, detected in his peripheral vision, that instinctively made him twist to the side. The fist scraped his ear as it passed over his shoulder. With his quick dodge, Robin foiled its original intent of striking the back of his head with skull-cracking force.

He automatically seized the arm and threw his assailant forwards, over his head. The man turned in the air, and landed without fuss on his feet, facing Robin.

A third example from the short list of people capable of sneaking up on Robin.

"Slade," Robin addressed him venomously.

"Robin. It's been too long." In the low light, the contrast between the halves of the two-toned mask was heightened, making the eye stand out—watching intently. Never wavering.

"Not long enough," Robin countered. He wished there was more space in this tunnel so he could move, so they could circle each other—Robin hated standing still and letting that one eye bore into him. He channeled his restlessness into squeezing his hands in fists. "What do you want with this world, Slade? Why are you here?"

"If you truly care to know, why haven't you sought me out sooner? I have to say, I was surprised—and disappointed—when you chose not to." Slade gave a small shake of his head. "To think, I had to come all the way here just to get your attention."

Robin was watching every movement Slade made, no matter how minuscule, in case it was the precursor for an attack. He wouldn't be caught off-guard. "You've always had our attention. We're keeping tabs on you, so don't think for a second that you can breathe freely. All we were waiting for was the right opportunity."

"I've been keeping tabs on you as well, Robin. It looks like you've had your hands full with those other young heroes. They are persistent, aren't they? And very interesting, too. Do they remind you of anyone?" From anyone else, the question could have been innocent. But in Slade's cold, silky voice, it became a threat.

"I'm warning you, Slade. Leave this world alone. If you so much as lay a hand on any of the heroes here, or anyone else, then you will pay. I won't allow you to hurt any of them."

"How noble. You're pushing them away to protect them. It must be awfully frustrating. You can't seek me out because they will follow in an attempt to help and you're worried I'll have a trap waiting for them—you're right to worry about that, by the way—yet you can't just let me do as I please, can you Robin? Who knows what I could be planning?"

Slade was goading. That's why he was here. That's why he wanted to lead Robin away and talk to him. Slade was trying to push Robin to that brink, make him do desperate, stupid, foolish things; slip up and make fatal errors that would cost him and his team and countless other innocent people dearly. But Slade could never push Robin off that brink, only steer him towards it. Whether Robin stepped off was always his own decision, and that was the scary part because when it came to Slade even Robin couldn't always predict or control what his own actions would be.

"I'll find out, and I'll put a stop to it," said Robin firmly. Promising.

"By yourself, no doubt. Because you're so determined to protect them. That's what you keep telling yourself, but we both know the real reason why. Why you don't want the Justice League to interfere. Why you're shouldering all of this on your own. Why you abandoned your friends to chase after me." Slade spoke slowly, emphasizing every word until it had a point like a knife, trying to get under Robin's skin, trying to pierce his armor and scar him with doubt. Slade's words could be as damaging as his fists. "You're not noble, Robin. You're not heroic. You're arrogant. You're distrustful."

"Shut up, Slade." Robin wouldn't let Slade get to him. He wouldn't. Robin was doing the right thing. He was!

"I see the truth. You don't trust anyone else to do your job for you."

"'One of the many qualities we have in common', right?" Robin snapped.

"We are very much alike. But unlike you, Robin, I recognize what I can't accomplish on my own. I learn from my mistakes."

"Yeah, right. That's why we've defeated you time and time again."

"In the past, you've gotten lucky. This time, however…" Slade clucked his tongue softly in contempt. "You never learn, Robin. You came to face me on your own, even knowing what happened when you did so in the past." He cocked his head to the side, ever so slightly, and Robin wondered whether he was smiling under that mask. "Not that I'm complaining. I've sorely missed our conversations."

Robin wasn't here for a conversation. He was here for answers. "How did you know about this world?"

"I've known about it for a while now. A story for another time."

"No, it's a story for right here and now!" Robin growled. "And don't you dare tell me to be patient. I'm not playing games, Slade."

"Neither am I."

"Tell me!" To prove he was serious, Robin flung a throwing disc at Slade, only to have the man step out of the way. The disc continued through the air. It hit the tunnel wall, and the resulting explosion tore out a sizable chunk of concrete.

Slade looked at the charred, crumbling stone—the aftereffects of a weapon that had been initially aimed at his head. "Dangerous, Robin." He sounded impressed. "That could have really hurt me."

"No it wouldn't. You're a robot."

Robin had known all along, from the moment he'd seen Slade during the battle. There was no Slade signal here. Last Robin checked, Slade was in Metropolis. This Slade here, standing across from him in the tunnel, watching him, mocking him, was a duplicate. A robot. Which meant Robin had zero hesitation about reducing his opponent to nothing more than fiery debris. But not yet… He needed information first.

"That's quite an assumption," remarked Slade. "How certain are you?"

Keep him talking, Robin. But don't get distracted. "Certain enough. Where did they come from? The robots?" Robin demanded, casting an arm in the direction of the distant battle raging somewhere outside the concrete walls. "How did you find the supplies to build them already?"

"Those? I simply called up a few contacts. It was no trouble at all. In fact, I'm in the process of making more, so don't worry about damaging them."

Not like Robin ever gave a second thought about smashing a Slade-bot's face in. Something else Slade had mentioned did worry him, though. "Contacts? That means you've communicated with this world before."

"You may be correct. Or not. It really doesn't matter. Contacts are contacts, regardless of what universe they're in." Slade leaned forward, his hands clasped behind his back, and looked down at Robin like he was a mere child. "Let's just say that people have learned better than to say 'no' to me."

Chin up defiantly, posture tall—Robin met Slade's eye, refusing to falter. "I haven't."

"As I've said, Robin… You never learn. It's a shame—I could have taught you so much. Perhaps with a bit of tutelage you wouldn't be stuck making the same mistakes. My offer still stands."

"Like I would ever—!" Unable to properly voice his fury without resorting to snarling, Robin instead hurled an explosive disc with all his strength at Slade.

The villain side-stepped leisurely, causing the weapon to miss its mark and soar off into the darkness just beyond. "You'll have to do better than that, Robin."

"I did."

Any other villain, and Robin might have smirked. But this was Slade, so Robin's expression remained sober as he watched the explosive disc—thrown with the perfect type of spin—loop back and drive itself between the man's shoulder blades.

Robin protected himself from the flying shrapnel with his cape. A hot, strong blast of air from the explosion surged at him, and when it subsided he crunched over the electronic remains and looked down at the gleaming, orange-and-black mask.

He had been certain—absolutely certain—that it was a robot.

But right before the detonation, he had seen a pleased glint in Slade's eye that offered him a split second of doubt, because a robot shouldn't be able to seem impressed at Robin's risky, cold-blooded, underhanded attack. No… Robin must have imagined that glint.

"I never learn, huh Slade?" he asked impassively, and then turned and started walking away. "I must have learned something."

oOo

Robin returned to his friends and the other team just in time to see the last Slade-bot beheaded by a shower of sparks by a powerful punch from Superboy.

"Robin!" Beast Boy called, changing from gorilla back to human. "There you are! Wait... Where's Raven?"

"I don't know." Out of spite, Robin kicked aside a robot's severed head as he walked up to Beast Boy. "Why? What happened?"

"I think she went looking for you… and she hasn't come back yet." Beast Boy scanned their gloomy surroundings expectantly, no doubt looking for some hint of black wings or the flutter of a dark blue cloak to signal Raven's return.

Considering it was Raven—Raven, who could control Slade-bots like dolls—Robin knew she was probably fine. Raven was more than capable of taking care of herself. And really, Robin must have just missed her, their paths coming close to verging but never intercepting. She'd be back in a couple minutes, for sure. But then again, if she had gotten caught by surprise…

"Have you tried calling her?" he asked Beast Boy, keeping his face a calm, composed mask. No need to over-react yet.

"I was just about to—"

"Excuse me?" Miss Martian and Aqualad were walking towards Robin, crossing like two envoys over the battlefield strewn with robotic body parts, while the rest of their team kept their distance from the Titans. Miss Martian was the one who spoke, with a worried pout. "You didn't happen to see our Robin around, did you?"

Robin blinked. Wasn't the kid…? Glancing over Miss Martian's shoulder, Robin saw that Kid Robin wasn't with the rest of his team. "No…"

"Our Robin said he was pursuing a robot," said Aqualad, as he pressed a finger to the communicator in his ear, "but now he is not responding."

"And he's gone out of my telepathic range," added Miss Martian.

Beast Boy crossed his arms and peered up at his leader accusingly. "Where did you run off to, anyway?"

"Saw a Slade duplicate," Robin replied. "I'll tell you about it…" Aqualad's words sank in, and Robin turned to him with widening eyes. "What do you mean, pursuing a robot?" he demanded urgently. His heart was hammering from pure fear the likes of which he didn't feel often… the likes of which he hadn't even felt while facing down Slade on his own. "What kind of robot?"

Aqualad's voice remained even, but Robin's frantic tone caused his stoic demeanor to crack slightly, creases forming on his forehead. "He did not say. What other kinds—"

"And you let him go by himself?" Robin asked, panic mounting.

"He has a small habit of disappearing to take care of things on his own."

"Guess it's not just our Robin, then," Beast Boy said under his breath, and then realization seemed to hit him like a ton of bricks when Robin aimed an alarmed look his way. "You don't think—"

Robin was already opening his communicator, trying to keep his hands from shaking and hoping that he hadn't been tricked into making a terrible mistake.

 _Maybe I haven't learned, after all._


	13. Chapter 13

**.**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 _—The Team: Robin—_

Robin saw his older self run away. Other Robin weaved between attacking robots, abandoning the battle for something else. But what? Robin wasn't sure. Whatever it was, Other Robin was chasing after it with a vengeance.

Curiosity piqued, and seeing a chance to talk to Other Robin alone, Robin slipped away from the war being waged between heroes and robots. The voices of his friends travelled with him around tall shipping containers and past heaps of rusting spare parts, while the sounds of battle grew more distant.

Having the voices of the others in his mind, closer than a whisper in his ear, was personal in a way that Robin may have once considered icky and wrong, but he'd slowly grown accustomed to. With the mind-link came a sense of harmony. Belonging. It couldn't be a coincidence that when they started routinely making use of the mind-link was around the same time they truly began meshing as a team.

"We should've brought Wolf," said Superboy's voice in Robin's head.

Robin tailed his counterpart at a safe distance, but he had a feeling that he could be right on Other Robin's heels and the teen wouldn't notice—he seemed completely intent in his pursuit.

"Wolf is very formidable-looking; we did not want to intimidate them," responded Aqualad. "But I admit that his help would be welcome right now."

Rounding several corners, one right after the other, Robin almost lost Other Robin. Unsure of what direction the Titan went, Robin leapt onto a row of train cars for a higher vantage point and spotted him below. Robin only caught a shadowy glimpse of Other Robin's quarry.

"These bots just won't die!" Artemis huffed. "Look: I blew that one's legs off and it's still crawling around."

There was a moment of guilt, where Robin felt bad for sneaking away from his friends. They wouldn't be able to understand. He hoped they wouldn't need him in the fight… But they had the Titans, too. They would be fine. (Unless the Titans attacked them again, which was a distinct possibility…)

"Rob, check it out!" Kid Flash exclaimed, with all the excitement of a cymbal clash. "That green kid turned into a legit sasquatch! How sick is that?"

Back on ground level, Robin continued his chase. This area of the train yard was more open, with rows of tracks free of junk. He could see the forms of both Other Robin and the mystery person, running to a pair of tunnels. If Other Robin looked back, he'd be able to see Robin, too. He never did.

"Robin?" asked Miss Martian, sounding worried. She must've noticed that their youngest teammate wasn't there—her floating would give her a clear view of the battlefield from above.

"Chasing a stray droid down the tracks," Robin lied smoothly. It was harder to lie in the mind-link than out loud, but he managed to send the deceitful thoughts without even a thin quaver of guilt betraying him. "BRB."

"Call us if you—"

"Please," he thought back curtly, cutting off Aqualad's voice. "I can take these tin cans with two arms tied behind my back."

No one questioned him there.

A caped figure disappeared into the lefthand tunnel mouth. The last he saw of it was a fluttering of dark fabric, before that melted into the darkness inside as well. He followed.

"Thanks for the hand—I mean, fist—Supey."

The voices hadn't left him yet. He didn't know whether that was comforting or distracting.

"That almost hit me! Their Speedy so did that on purpose!"

Robin couldn't see the exit. Just black, brightened intermittently by small lights on the walls. No Other Robin, either. Weird. Unless he was just ahead, just out of view? Robin could hear footsteps, echoing so much that he couldn't tell where they were coming from. Other Robin had to be here somewhere, and the only place he could have gone was forward.

"You know how I said I hate monkeys? Starting to hate robots, too."

Robin turned off the communicator in his ear. This was between him and… himself. He didn't want any interruptions.

"Miss Martian—enemy right behind you."

The other footfalls had long since stopped. But Robin hadn't caught up yet. Super weird...

"Got it, Aqualad. That's strange… I don't see the older Robin. I wonder where…"

The voices faded away, volume turning lower and lower as he ventured out of Miss Martian's range, until all he heard was his own breathing, his own footsteps, his own cape swishing in the still air as he hurried—with a stealthy kind of running that he'd learned from the best—through the tunnel. It took a curve midway, and as he followed it the far exit came into view. Still no Other Robin. Had he discovered a hidden path and backtracked?

Once Robin got closer to the exit, he could see that the tunnel opened into a scraggy field. Nothing but grass and train tracks. No place to hide and no Other Robin.

Ultra weird!

The muffled booming of an explosion reverberated off the smooth walls. From the battle? No, it sounded closer—much closer. Somewhere behind him. It had to be Other Robin.

Robin turned to go back, and found that someone was standing in his way.

"Hello, Robin."

A tall, solidly-built man wearing a strange mask—made of metal and covering his whole face, half orange, half black, with a single eye. He was dressed in grey and black, with plates of armor, kind of in a similar scheme as those robots Robin's team was fighting. Except this man was a lot more intimidating than those robots… He could probably crush Robin's neck in one hand.

Robin silently struggled to place a name to the man. He was certain that he'd never met this guy in person before, but the orange-and-black mask stirred at his memory. Second-hand mentions, years ago. If he could just recall the name… All he remembered was that the name had been spoken with quiet dread; not once was it thrown around carelessly. And, didn't it have something to do with swimming? No, that was stupid.

"You're not who I'm looking for," said Robin, pursing his lips in annoyance.

But wait a second, this guy was probably who Other Robin was looking for. He looked around the same height as the figure Robin had seen running. Curiosity was the only thing that kept Robin from: A) turning and walking away or B) attacking… for now.

"Oh? And who are you looking for, exactly?"

"An angry, bossy version of me. Can't miss him—he's dressed brighter than a set of traffic lights. Seen anyone like that?"

"Perhaps."

The dark eye was watching Robin steadily—appraising him, judging him—which made Robin feel nervous, like he was taking a test, and he wasn't sure what outcome he should be more wary of: passing or failing?

Robin sighed. He knew what the man was doing, and he didn't feel like playing this game. "Okay, you're obviously bluffing. And I'm in a hurry. So… Bye! Leaving now."

The good thing about tunnels? There were two ways out. If he couldn't go back the direction he came, he could exit and loop around the long way.

The backwards step on Robin's part was countered with a step forward by the man, whose significantly longer stride shrunk the distance between them. "On the contrary, Robin. I have the information you're looking for."

"And instead of telling me, you're going to gloat and play mind games." Typical bad-guy behaviour. Robin had been through similar situations countless times before. "Great. I'd like to know now. I don't have time for this."

"Patience." The man held up a placating hand. "I'll tell you, Robin. On one condition."

Robin offered a disinterested sneer. "Yeah?"

"Fight me. Impress me, and I'll tell you."

What part of I don't have time for this did this guy not understand?

"No, thank you. I'll find him on my own. I don't need you to tell me where he is." Robin made to turn and walk—maybe run—away.

He wasn't fleeing, he just really, really had to find Other Robin, and couldn't afford to be held up. Way different than fleeing. Way different. What was the term Red Arrow had used before? 'Strategic retreat'?

"That isn't the only answer I have to give." The man's remark was clearly intended to make Robin stop in his tracks and draw him back. And it worked.

Another distant explosion. Scowling faintly, Robin strained on his tip-toes to try to see past the man that was serving as a road-block. Other Robin was back there, and the shortest path to him was through this guy—shortest, but not easiest.

Refusing to budge, the man stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "Even if you find him, he will refuse to talk to you."

"And you know this because…?"

"I know more about him than you can comprehend," said the stranger cryptically. Robin could almost hear his smirk. "My offer still stands."

The offer. All Robin had to do was fight him. And at the moment, Robin really did want to punch this guy who was starting to get on his nerves with the patronizing tone and the taunting hints and the name that Robin couldn't remember.

This man talked to Robin like he was a child. Robin never passed on an opportunity to show up someone for making the mistake of underestimating the Boy Wonder.

Robin smiled slyly. Offer accepted.

"I've seen an after-school special with a plot like this," Robin told the man conversationally. Because that's what Robin always did: make conversation. It was the best way to distract opponents.

Within the mask, the man's eye narrowed in what Robin could only assume was amusement. "Have you, now?"

Keep talking, Robin. Keep him distracted. "Yep. This is a perfect example of stranger danger." With one hand, Robin gestured carelessly. The other hand he placed on his hip, letting his cape fall over it so his enemy didn't see him reaching for his utility belt. "The only difference is that you didn't drive up in a white van and offer me candy."

The man made a low, contemptuous noise in his throat, like a laugh yet nothing like a laugh, that grated on Robin's nerves. "You're—" Fast as a strike of lightning, the man swatted Robin's birdarang aside. "—too slow. Really, Robin. You'll have to do better than that."

"I will."

The initial attack had just been a test. Now Robin knew how fast his opponent was. And while the man was quick, Robin maintained that he himself was the quicker one.

Time to put that theory to the test. Robin wasn't sure what this guy's weak point was—he was all armor and solid muscle—so he went for the usual failsafe: the face. There was a mask, but if he could knock it off with a flying kick…

The man stood completely still, watching—allowing—Robin to aim a foot at his face. At the last moment before impact there was a blur of movement and a vice-like grip latched onto Robin's ankle.

As Robin dangled upside-down, held up by the ankle, he realized that he may have underestimated this guy's agility. A little.

No big deal. Robin was already swinging himself up, breaking the man's grip (again, he felt like the man was allowing it). For one fleeting second he used his enemy's metal-plated arm as a foothold, a stepping stone to spring off of so he could reach a hand to the mask—

—only to be punched in the chest by the man's other fist. Except it wasn't like getting punched with a fist as much as it was like getting punched with, say, a boulder.

Robin did a backwards somersault in the air and no sooner had he landed lightly in a crouch than his opponent was attacking again. Punches and kicks, strikes and blows that Robin could barely dodge, as quick as he was. There was no time to think of witty battle conversation or laugh at his enemy in attempts to frustrate or unnerve, because he was too focused on avoiding those knuckles coming at his face, or that boot about to stomp down on his back.

Okay, Robin had definitely underestimated this guy's agility. A lot.

He needed to think of a strategy, but he wasn't given a chance to do more than act—fluidly moving from a roll to a handspring to a sideways duck-and-step to a spin… There was no opportunity to formulate a plan. Dodge, dodge, dodge. He knew he couldn't take many hits from this guy.

Robin was about to leap away from the man yet again (Dodge, dodge, dodge), only to be wrenched back down before he could leave the ground. His left foot was stuck; caught between railway ties. Bad. Very bad. Robin tried to turn away and evade the man's next punch but his foot was stuck and he couldn't move far enough out of the way. The fist rammed into his shoulder, and the force sent Robin flying back. His foot was wrested free, at the expense of his leg being twisted at an angle that it should never naturally take—for just one split second, but that was all that was needed to do the damage.

It didn't start hurting until after he landed on his side on the sharp train tracks. He gave a soft hiss and fought between clamping his hands around his leg protectively and not being able to bear touching it because it would just hurt worse. Something had popped. Something had torn and his knee was a tight knot of screaming pain. A locked joint that he didn't dare try to move or put pressure on, or his mind would spin from the agony.

He was an acrobat with three working limbs. He could do this. All he needed to do was avoid panicking and remember his training. Taking a deep breath, he lifted himself off up his elbows into a handstand and did a front walk-over to put himself back on his feet—one foot, careful not to put any weight on his left leg. Execution was a bit awkward… No points for style… But hey, it worked.

Robin stood—wobbly, but standing—and turned to face his opponent.

Hand-to-hand won't work, said a memory of Bruce's voice. You'll have to try something else. Once he's close enough, use your taser. Sounded like a plan.

"Robin, you should be more careful," said the man with so much condescension that it was nauseating. "I wasn't trying to hurt you."

"You sure about that?" he panted, watching as the man took one more step forward. A little closer…

The air suddenly felt cold, like an arctic breeze was blowing past. Who turned down the dial? It was so freezing that Robin was surprised when his breath didn't escape in white puffs.

Oddly, the man didn't seem to take notice of the unnatural cold. "Dear boy, if I wanted to hurt you, you'd—"

Robin didn't get to hear the end of that sentence, because the man was ripped to pieces before his eyes. Words that Robin couldn't understand were chanted by a calm, forceful voice, ringing off the tunnel walls. Black energy, darker than the darkest shadows, bled over the man, consuming him. And then there was a horrendous snapping and he was just… parts. The part closest to Robin was a gloved hand, splayed open.

Slowly, Robin turned his wide gaze from the disembodied hand, and saw a cloaked figure with glowing eyes of an eerie white, glaring down at the man's mask that lay on the ground. Fury was emanating from the newcomer in waves. The anger and hatred the cloaked figure felt for that man was too powerful—inhuman, unearthly—and was manifesting into a palpable force that rippled through the air, warping the train tracks on the ground and making them creak; shorting out a nearby emergency light with a crisp fizzle.

And then the glowing eyes were raised and fixed on Robin…

Robin tried not to panic. He was injured, he just saw a man killed with no warning, and he was alone, but panicking would only make it worse. He had his taser, he could—

"Robin, it's okay. I'm here to help." The hood was removed and the eyes stopped glowing. The temperature returned to normal. "I'm Raven. A friend." Her face was pale and round; her purple eyes large and full of… concern?

His throat was dry. Trying to swallow just made it drier. "You… You killed him."

"No, I didn't. He was just a robot, Robin. See?" Raven pointed at a severed arm lying nearby, which was sparking futilely. Of course, Robin should've known—he'd thought it was the pain in his knee making him see stars. "He was just a robot," Raven repeated with a frown, more to herself than to him.

"Just a robot? A pretty good robot," Robin muttered. He tried to put weight on his hurt leg, and immediately regretted it. The intense spike of pain had since transformed into a constant throbbing that was by no means better.

Her frown deepened when she saw him wince. "You're hurt. If you stand still, I can fix it."

Raven lifted up a hand, showing him how it glowed with whitish light. Robin looked at her skeptically for a moment, but remembered how she did the same thing for Beast Boy, and nodded.

He braced himself when she placed her hand on his knee, expecting it to be cold—cold like the air had been when she attacked the robot—but instead it was pleasantly cool, like rainwater. And the pain… His knee was wiped clean of pain so abruptly that he had to bite back a gasp of relief.

Her hand moved to his jaw, to a bleeding gash that he hadn't even noticed—must've been from when he fell on the tracks.

"Better?" she asked. "Is that it?"

"I think so." Robin tested his knee, hinging and unhinging. It gave a terrific crack, and everything fell into place, aligning perfectly. Like the injury never happened. Weeks of healing, physical therapy, Alfred and Bruce fussing, and missed missions—things he'd been starting to dread simply evaporated. He was completely awed. "Thank you." He didn't know what else to say.

"I'm glad you're okay." Except she didn't look glad; she looked grave. "We should head back to—" Raven was about to turn away from him and pull her hood back on.

"Wait! Can— Can we talk, for a minute?" This was the first time a Titan didn't brush him off or attack him. Maybe…

She hesitated, her fingers clutching at the fabric she was going to use to hide her face. "They'll be wondering where we are."

"Please, Raven. Please." Robin smiled when Raven's hands fell to her sides and her hood fell down her back. He kicked at the robot's dismembered hand with his toe. "Who was that guy?"

"Slade. One of his robot duplicates. He's an enemy of ours."

Slade. No, the name didn't fit. Robin still couldn't recall the correct name, but he knew that wasn't it.

"He got sucked here like the rest of your bad guys?"

"No, Slade isn't here by accident. It's complicated. Even we don't understand…" She trailed off and shook her head. "I'm not the one who should tell you about Slade. You need to ask Robin."

"Like he'll tell me anything," said Robin bitterly. "Why won't he talk to me?"

"I don't think he knows what to say to you."

"Why? Do I embarrass him or something? Does he see me as some stupid kid, and can't believe he used to be exactly like me? Does he think I can't take care of myself? Because I can. I'm just as good as him."

"You trouble him," she said simply. The way Raven was watching Robin made Robin think that he troubled her, too.

"Why is he so troubled? What's the big deal?" he asked the ceiling loudly, because he couldn't raise his voice at Raven. It wasn't Raven he was frustrated with… it was Other Robin, for being so stubborn.

"That's Robin's business. If he doesn't want to talk to you, then it's for a good reason." She looked sorry to say it.

Robin didn't want sorry. He wanted answers. "What reason?" he urged, all but begging. "I know you know."

She fidgeted before answering, proof that his accusation had been right on the dot. "I have no right to talk to you about our Robin, especially when he's made it so clear that he's not comfortable with you knowing anything about him. He's a private person, and it takes a long time to gain his trust. Telling you without his permission would mean betraying that trust, and that's something I would never do."

Robin frowned in suspicion. "How much do you know about him?"

"More than he would probably like me to."

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Robin slouched against the tunnel wall. Everyone kept giving him cryptic answers, and he was getting sick of it. "I hate this. You guys can't just show up out of nowhere like this and expect us not to be interested to know more about you! I mean, you're from another universe! It's awesome."

Raven shrugged inside her cloak. "This is the way it has to be, Robin. It's best for everyone if we avoid interfering with this world. Things need to play out on their own after our mission is completed, and that means we need to keep our distance."

"Right. Fine." He crossed his arms, not skimping on the petulance. "Keep all the distance you need. We wouldn't want your Robin getting all uncomfortable around me, would we?"

"It's not just Robin. The others... Some of them are looking for things here. They have the best intentions—just as you have the best intentions—but they're only going to end up more hurt than they already are."

"I just want to talk to him, Raven. When am I going to get another chance to talk to an older version of me?" Answer: never. "I want to know what happened to my team, my friends, and how he ended up leader, and—"

"Robin, he's an older version of you, but he's not you from the future. You need to know that. We're not from the future. We're not a promise of what's to come, and you're not a chance for us to change our pasts." She looked aside, lost in her thoughts for a moment. "I think we're having trouble remembering that, too. Deep down, we can't help but ask: What if?"

He opened his mouth to ask more questions—there were still so many questions—but Raven's attention was diverted by a chiming, yellow communicator that was pulled somewhere from the folds of her cloak.

"Raven," came Other Robin's imploring voice from the device, "please tell me you're with—"

"I am. Everything's fine, Robin. We'll be there soon."

Time to go, thought Robin as he leaned forward, pulling himself away from the concrete wall and onto his feet. Raven didn't need to say it, but Robin knew. Their chat was over, and they had to go back to their respective teams.

"So, you're not looking for anything here? In this world?" he asked offhandedly. He realized that Raven had told him about her team, about Other Robin, but hadn't said a single thing about herself.

She lifted her hood back over her head, and before the shadows hid her face he swore he saw a smile. "I'm too busy looking out for my friends."

oOo

At first Robin was apprehensive about traveling by Raven's powers, since the image of that robot being torn limb-from-limb by the same black magic-y stuff that was surrounding himself was fresh in his memory, but the worry and claustrophobia passed and he found it to be a surprisingly mild experience, like riding on an elevator in the dark. Except the elevator could go in all directions.

The 'elevator' doors opened at the scene of the big battle. Both teams were standing amid strewn robotic body parts. Robin knew they'd be able to take care of it together. And hey, the two teams weren't arguing or trying to kill each other. That was an improvement.

The faces of Robin's friends cycled between expressions of shock at his sudden appearance, indignation that he'd run off, relief (hat he was back, and then distress. The last one confused him, until Kid Flash rushed to his side, eyes wide with worry as he yelled in Robin's ear.

"Dude, you're bleeding!" Right. Forgot about that. Robin wiped the crusty streak of red from the side of his face with his gauntlet as Kid Flash kept asking frantic questions so rapidly that Robin wouldn't be able to answer even if he tried. "What happened? Was it one of those robots? Or did that creepy Titan girl attack you? Where did you go? Why'd you turn your communicator off? We were freaking out!"

Kid Flash clearly hadn't been at a level of freaking out extreme enough to make him lose his appetite, hence the energy-bar crumbs being sprayed at Robin's face as the speedster kept shouting questions.

Ears ringing, Robin pushed his friend away. "Chill, KF."

Aqualad looked down at Robin with concern. "Are you injured?"

"No. I was, but thanks to Raven, now I'm jured."

His teammates all exchanged a look. They seemed to agree that if he was okay enough to make up words, then they could breathe easy.

"You've got to stop doing the ninja thing," Kid Flash told Robin, giving him a small shove. "Someone should put a bell on you."

The rest of the Team was expressing similar renewed concerns about his frequent disappearances and Robin tuned them out as he glanced over at where Other Robin was talking to Raven, near the other gathered Titans.

The Titans' leader seemed stricken. _Why?_ wondered Robin.

Other Robin kept looking from Robin to Raven, domino mask crinkled in anxiety. "Raven, what happened?"

"He went after you, Robin, and instead found Slade. It wasn't actually him—it was a robot—but they fought."

Other Robin took a few steps forward. The look on the older boy's face was so cold it nearly froze Robin on the spot. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" he asked Robin quietly, every word heavily weighted.

Robin would have preferred it if he yelled. That calm, severe tone made Robin feel like he was facing down an infuriated Batman. He became aware of his team tightening their circle around him, as though to protect him from Other Robin's anger.

Raven came to the younger Boy Wonder's defense, telling her leader and friend in a stern voice, "No, Robin. He doesn't."

Stepping away from his team, Robin bravely faced his counterpart. "You owe me some answers." He waited, but Other Robin just stared at him. "Well?"

Everyone, from both teams, was watching Other Robin. Stubborn as he was, he caved quickly. "That depends on the question," he answered reluctantly, not meeting Robin's gaze.

Robin had lots of questions—a whole list of questions that he'd been adding to for days now. But he couldn't shake the mask, the lingering taunts, or the single, calculating eye from his mind.

"Who is Slade?"


	14. Chapter 14

**.**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 _—Dick Grayson—_

 _—Wayne Manor—_

"And then he told me it was none of our business, and to stay out of their way! Yeah, right. I mean, I fought that Slade guy! How is it not my business?"

Dick was in the kitchen, his elbows leaning on the granite countertop of the island and his heel frustratedly half-kicking half-tapping the leg of the stool he sat on as he vented to someone he could always count on to listen.

He wasn't in a good mood. The mission had been a bust. Immediately after he asked Other Robin what he thought was an innocent, non-personal, privacy-respecting question, Other Robin stood stunned with a look of utter horror that his mask hadn't done a thing to hide, gave that clipped deflection of an answer, turned to Raven and addressed her by name, and then whoosh! Disappeared in an orb of dark energy. Bye-bye, Titans!

Then it'd been back to the Cave for the Team, and hello disappointed Batman!

Alfred made a sympathetic noise as he wiped down the countertop with a rag.

"Not like I needed him to tell me," Dick continued. "I figured it out myself. I knew I recognized that Slade guy from somewhere. He's a dead ringer for Deathstroke." Pun not initially intended. Wasn't bad, though. He made a mental note to use it if he saw Slade again. "You know, the Terminator. Must be their universe's version."

Searching up the files on his glove-computer during the ride back to the Cave had helped Robin ignore the displeased looks the others in the bio-ship shot his way. His friends hadn't been happy when they found out that he lied to them, again. It was becoming a trend, actually. The lying, the disobeying of orders, the sneaking behind his teammates' backs… All of it was pushing them away from him.

The butler's eyes flicked upwards and met Dick's blue ones for a split second. "Ah. Is that so?"

It was weird how all the adults got so tense when the name Deathstroke was brought up. Bruce, Black Canary… Even the normally unflappable Alfred was kind of… flapped.

"Yep. Didn't Deathstroke drop off the face of the earth? What happened to him?"

"No one knows." The kitchen surfaces were gleaming, so Alfred moved on to drying and stacking dishes away. He was always doing some chore, always busying himself with some task. The kitchen was his domain, and he kept it spotless. "Perhaps he decided to quit, or he could be lying low with a new alias. It's also possible that he is—"

"Dead," Dick finished for him.

The Justice League files were leaning towards that. When Dick looked through Bruce's own files earlier, he'd found that his mentor was a bit more skeptical, pinning a few more recent events to the mercenary, who may have had a hand in them.

Everyone in the hero business knew that the 'presumed dead' bad guys never stayed dead. Heck, even confirmed dead ones came back to life often enough. Yet the Justice League had been eager to label Deathstroke as gone for good… and that was probably why the appearance of his inter-dimensional counterpart was worrying all the adults so much.

But, compared to Deathstroke, this Slade guy seemed like a censored, kid-friendly, TV Y-7 FV-rated version. Or something. His name was less scary. Way less scary. And he didn't have Deathstroke's MO at all. The robot minions were kind of… random, and while Deathstroke was more than capable of taking Robin hand-to-hand from what Robin had read, he was known for using guns or swords. If Robin had met Deathstroke in a dark tunnel, it was likely his team would have found him chopped into itty-bitty pieces.

Then again, Slade had said he wasn't trying to hurt Robin. Which begged the question: Why not?

It was obvious by Slade's comments that he had history with Other Robin. Maybe he had tried to make Robin let his guard down (like that would've happened), so he could beat up or capture Robin as a means to exact revenge on the older version.

What else was new? Robin dealt with similar situations on a near-weekly basis, with Batman's name swapped for Other Robin and any member of their rogue gallery in place of Slade, and always got through relatively unscathed.

Dick couldn't care less about Slade, honestly. The Titans were determined to catch Slade and the rest of their bad guys, the Justice League was determined to find out more about the Titans and their villains, the rest of the Team was determined to prove that they were useful, but all Dick cared about was Other Robin.

Between stifled yawns, Dick tried to explain some of this to Alfred—how Slade seemed different, less dangerous than the feared mercenary—but just like Bruce earlier, Alfred didn't lose that tiny line of wariness between his eyebrows.

"Has Bruce ever gone up against Deathstroke?" Dick hadn't delved too deep in the files yet.

Alfred gave a dignified nod. "I believe the last time was over three years ago, not long after you became the partner of Batman."

"But I haven't… right?"

"No. They crossed paths during a Justice League mission, if I remember correctly. You were asleep in bed. Or, I should say, you were supposed to be."

Dick blinked. Alfred's prompt had nudged at an old, blurry memory. Pushed into a dusty corner and half-forgotten but becoming clearer simply through rediscovery, and as he focused on it the blanks filled themselves in.

He remembered being stirred awake by the beeping of his bedroom computer, which he'd hacked the Batcave's security system with. Whenever Bruce went on late-night missions without him, Dick set it up so he would know exactly when Bruce returned (since Alfred always made the boy go to bed, even though any sleep that came would be fitful at best).

The security footage on the screen had shown Bruce in one piece, thankfully. Clark had been there, too, telling Alfred about Bruce being stubborn and refusing treatment anywhere else, and then Dick saw how Bruce was staggering slightly and clutching his side. Dick bolted down to the Batcave in his pajamas, blocked at the bottom of the last flight of stairs by the famous 'S' shield over a blue background—Superman.

There had been assurances from Clark, from Alfred, and grunted ones from Bruce, and then Dick was being shepherded to bed by Clark and tucked in so tightly that it would've been a challenge getting free, escape artist though he was.

Clark sat at the foot of his bed and told stories—some sort of Kryptonian legends—to try and calm the boy who could only think of flesh being stitched back together in the cave below the mansion. Dick feigned sleep until Clark left, until he heard the door open and Bruce say his name.

And then Dick asked "What happened?' and Bruce slowly—hiding a wince from his wounds—sat at the foot of his bed, in the spot Clark had sat, and told Dick everything in a matter-of-fact, candid, yet succinct manner. Whether it had been from Bruce's voice or the reassuring fact that—despite the dangerous encounter—Bruce was there to recount it, that story had lulled Dick to sleep where the mild, enjoyable Kryptonian legends hadn't.

How old had he been back then? Ten? Looking back, Dick felt like he'd been so young. He supposed the vigilante life did that to a person. Years felt like decades.

Was that why Other Robin kept treating him so weird? There wasn't that large an age difference between them, but he had been able to tell by Other Robin's tone and the way he acted around Robin, that the older teen considered Robin to be just a kid.

"In light of this development, will you and your team continue with your mission?"

"Huh?" Dick was snapped out of his musings by Alfred's question. "Oh. Yeah, we are. Bruce didn't have much of a choice. He gave us three tries to bring in the Titans, and we've only used two. The others practically threatened to start going on unauthorized missions again, if he took the Titans case away. 'Sides, it's not Slade we're going after. It's the Titans. For now."

Their objectives had been clear from the beginning: round up the Titans, deliver them to the Justice League, gain information about them and their bad guys, and go from there. Chasing after the baddies blindly might lead to some nasty surprises. (Slade was proof of that.) Even the Justice League was wary of going after the bad guys without more info.

Dick yawned again. Alfred would shoo him off to bed any minute now, but no matter how tired he was, he doubted he'd manage to snatch more than a couple hours of sleep tonight. Too much had happened. Too much was buzzing through his mind. He could still hear his friends' voices, sharp with indignation as they tried to defend their mission from the prying grasp of Batman and the Justice League.

You promised us one more chance!

If they can handle this Slade guy, so can we.

This is our mission! You can't jump in like that.

Now they were given one more shot. One last chance. Batman would let them confront the Titans one more time, tomorrow night. If the Titans refused to listen to reason and surrender peaceably, the Team would have permission to detain the rogue heroes until the Justice League could arrive.

It was more than they could have hoped for, after tonight. Dick felt like it was odd how Batman—Bruce—had folded like that. Not to mention that Bruce hadn't said a word to Dick about how he ran away from his team, cut off all communication, faced an unknown enemy, and got injured (rather stupidly, for all of it). Not a single word. Not a single criticism. Bruce was more… distant. More lenient? Dick couldn't quite put his finger on it. His digits drummed restlessly on the countertop as though trying to pin down an answer.

"Bruce's been acting strange lately," Dick told Alfred, hoping the butler could offer some insight. "Kinda broody. Well, broodier than usual. And a bit…" The word 'distracted' came to mind, except that word and Bruce could never go together unless the 'dis' was dropped. "…preoccupied. Is he just peeved that X-Man keeps getting away, or is something else going on?" Dick slouched on the stool gloomily. "He's not mad that we haven't brought the Titans in yet, is he? It isn't our fault that they don't play nice with others."

"I'm certain it has nothing to do with you, Master Dick. He simply needs a good night's rest… which he won't get tonight. The appearance of this Slade will likely have him up and worrying until dawn. For good reason, I'll admit."

But Bruce had been acting strangely for days, long before Slade came into the picture. Dick could trace it back to when they first found out about the Titans. He supposed the inter-dimensional thing was enough to freak anyone out slightly, even Batman.

"The Titans will be there if the Slade guy shows up again," said Dick, because Alfred seemed worried about Slade too and Dick didn't like it when Alfred seemed worried. "Raven took him down in three seconds." Sure, it had just been a robot, but still. "It'll be no problem."

"Would Raven be the young lady with the healing abilities?" asked Alfred. He was probably thinking about how useful it would be to have someone like that around. Dick was thinking the same thing. Mystical healing powers were cool.

Bruce wouldn't agree, though. When the Dynamic Duo returned to the Batcave, Bruce had insisted that a full check-up was done on Dick's leg because for some reason he didn't trust sketchy, dark-tinted magic from an inter-dimensional stranger. After the x-rays had shown that everything was a-okay, Alfred had been relieved and a tiny bit impressed, and Bruce had been relieved but still a lot suspicious, and Dick had been relieved and expressed it by doing a backflip off of the giant penny, just because he could.

"Yeah, that's her," answered Dick. "She's nice. She seemed scary at first, but then she healed my knee and we talked."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir… What did you talk about?"

"Just The Titans. And her. And me. The other me. She knows a lot about him." More than a lot. Dick had been able to tell—just by the way she talked to him—that she knew everything. "They've been friends for a long time, and she cares about him a lot."

"It sounds as though he is very lucky to have her." Alfred closed the cupboard and turned to Dick. "Do you want me to prepare you a snack?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

Bedtime snack tended to be overly healthy. The adults had decided it was best not to give Dick too much sugar right before bed, after some incidents in the past. He wished they'd get over that—he was a lot more mature now, and the old chandelier had been an eyesore anyway. But Alfred would turn his back and pretend not to notice if Dick grabbed a cookie from the jar, unless he pushed his luck and tried to sneak two.

"Off to bed, now," said Alfred.

Obediently, Dick slipped off the stool. He gave his loudest yawn yet, stretching his arms up. There was no use of arguing with Alfred, no use in pretending he wasn't tired. "Are you going down to the Batcave?" he asked, noticing how Alfred was packing up the kitchen for the night.

Alfred neatly folded a dishtowel, then took a step back and surveyed the room with the eyes of a hawk, searching for anything left dirty or out of place. "Indeed. I need to have a chat with Master Bruce."

"Hmm?" Chat? About what? Dick tilted his head to the side, looking at Alfred quizzically. Any curiosity was sapped by another yawn and a wave of sleepiness. "Tell him I said good-night, 'kay?" Dick dipped his hand into the cookie jar on his way to the door. He smiled mischievously. Maybe this time he could get away with—

"Only one, Master Dick."

How did he always know?

oOo

—Teen Titans: Robin—

—Outside Brick City—

Like how a dropped coin took a clattering second to settle, a dropped conversation was followed a moment of awkward unease, particularly when the person being discussed had just come within earshot.

That was the kind of atmosphere Robin was met with when he slid open the door and stepped out of the control room. The murmur of voices had stopped and Beast Boy, Speedy, and Jinx were busying themselves in the kitchen area in front of him, down the tiny hallway, not looking at each other or at him. Guilt hung over them like a cloud. Robin didn't need to be trained at reading people by Batman in order to tell that they had been talking about him.

Speedy was going through his night-time ritual of laying out his arrows on the countertop and closely inspecting them one-by-one—which never failed to make Robin feel less neurotic by comparison. Jinx was flitting between half-heartedly teasing her hair up in front of her reflection on the microwave window and eating peanut butter straight from the jar with a spoon. The jar was passed back-and-forth between her and Beast Boy, who was humming a tune to fill the tense silence as he put together some PB&J sandwiches.

The door to the girl's 'room' was open. Inside, Raven was meditating on the bottom bunk, carefully levitating at only the smallest height so she didn't bang her head on the bunk above. She cracked open an eyelid and looked at Robin. "What did Cyborg say?"

Robin leaned against the closed door to the boy's room, facing Raven. From that position he could easily talk to Raven and the rest of the team in the kitchen—the ship was that small. They often had conversations while in different parts of the ship with walls between them, not needing to look at each other or raise their voices because the sound didn't very far to travel.

He did his best to paraphrase Cyborg's explanation—some of the techno-speak he had trouble understanding himself. "There's no way he can get us better access to the League's satellite. Apparently we're lodged at a very specific level, and if we attempt to hack further the backlash from their security will wipe out our systems."

"That would be bad."

"Very bad."

It hadn't been much of a problem finding Johnny Rancid, who left a blazing trail of graffiti for them to follow. Finding Slade would be much, much tougher (unless the Titans wanted to fall into a trap), and after everything that happened tonight, they needed to find and stop Slade now more than ever, before he made another move.

If they could pinpoint exactly where he was, it would help immensely… in theory. There was still the huge problem of that other team. Trying to convince them to back off had been a total bust. Robin was beginning to wonder whether it would be worth the risk to bite the bullet and let them tag along. If they did, maybe he could get Beast Boy to go octopus or something, and restrain Kid Robin so he didn't get anywhere near Slade.

Wow, Robin was really running out of ideas.

Raven seemed to understand what Robin was thinking about, either through her powers or because she could recognize the look on his face when he thought about that particular villain. "We should have told them more about Slade."

"Raven, how are we supposed to explain him to those people?"

Robin could imagine how it would go: 'The last time we fought Slade he was an undead messenger to the incarnation of evil. The time before that he was a hallucination that beat me mercilessly until I was on the brink of death. And the time before that…'

"That's a good question," Beast Boy piped up as he poured himself a glass of soy milk. "If they said, 'tell us about Slade', where would we begin?"

Jinx tapped a finger against her cheek, pretending to think deeply. "Well, he likes robots."

"And triggers," added Raven, without any hint of amusement.

"And Robin," said Speedy, with plenty of it. Robin shot him a glare of warning, which he pretended not to notice.

"Team, we need to talk seriously for a couple minutes. It's debriefing time." Robin waited. No one seemed to have heard him. "I mean it. Pay attention. This is important."

"Yeah, yeah, we're listening," said Speedy dismissively, not looking up from the arrow he was contemplating. Likewise, the other Titans were giving Robin their very divided attention.

Robin sighed, because he was quite certain that Justice League debriefings did not coincide with snack-time. But then again, they did have the Flash.

Robin sensed that something was off about the scene in front of him—the same, hard-earned sense that alerted him in the field to traps and clues, and alerted him at home to whether someone had been in his room or messed with his R-Cycle (usually Beast Boy). Robin couldn't turn it off. He scanned his surroundings, until he realized what was weird.

"Jinx, why haven't you changed?"

Upon returning 'home', everyone else had switched to a fresh outfit, of the few they had left. Between paint, slime, and extreme wear-and-tear, Robin was running out of wearable uniforms.

"What?" She looked over at him and then down at her clothes. The spandex was caked with paint in every colour of the rainbow. "Oh. I only had a few of these, and they're all pretty much ruined now. I always meant to make more, part of the whole 're-invention' thing. I was thinking of going all-out with the hero look—y'know, with a cape and a mask and a little 'J' logo right here?" She pointed over her heart and gave a small laugh that wasn't echoed in her eyes, the joke falling flat. "But then… I just never got around to it."

"You don't have any clean clothes?"

"I have one outfit left. An old one. I threw it in my suitcase because it was so empty."

She had packed oddly light for someone so clothes-obsessed. Robin remembered Cyborg teasing that the boys' hair products outweighed both girls' suitcases combined. Which was a blatant exaggeration.

There was a shrug from the girl as she carelessly combed her fingers through her pink hair, making it stand straight up, and regarded her reflection in the microwave door. She let her hair tumble back down over her shoulders. "Maybe later." In an obvious plea for a change of topic, Jinx picked up the milk carton and sniffed it delicately. "I think the soy milk's spoiled."

"Can that stuff even go bad?" asked Speedy.

It was confirmed that yes, it could, when Beast Boy—who hadn't been paying attention to the conversation—took the first big gulp from his glass and immediately spat it out. With a sputtering cry of disgust, he rushed over to the sink to rinse out his mouth under the tap, heedlessly knocking aside Jinx and Speedy as he went.

Jinx was shoved so that her forehead slammed against the corner of the microwave. Clutching her head and doubled over in pain, she hissed a few acerbic phrases that she could only have learned from Gizmo.

Speedy collided with the counter, the edge ramming into his ribs. There was a snapping sound, which turned out to be from the trick arrow in his hands. It must have been a combustive or flare arrow, because suddenly his shirt was on fire. Flames were spreading across the red fabric that would be resistant to fire—considering their line of work—but not indefinitely fire-proof. He yelped and turned towards the sink, the nearest source of water, except Beast Boy had dibs on the faucet. So instead Speedy grabbed the carton of soy milk and used that to douse the flames, leaving him dripping and soggy and looking very, very displeased at all of them for witnessing what he had resorted to.

Robin cracked up, letting out a soft bark of a laugh that sounded more like a cough than anything. He couldn't help it—the scene was just too ridiculous. And there had been so little to laugh about lately.

Raven had craned her neck forward to peek around the doorframe at the chaos.

"This… isn't working, is it?" Robin asked her, trying to stifle a smile.

She leaned back and hummed in agreement. "Once we've started lighting each other on fire, we have to admit that there's a problem. But it could be worse. Imagine if Cyborg and Starfire were here instead."

True, their clunky and overly-energetic friends would make the small space seem a lot smaller. But Robin had a feeling that, if they were here, he wouldn't mind at all.

Suddenly, Robin gave a shudder as a cold feeling washed over him. He clenched his eyes shut until it passed and the lightheadedness went away.

Raven had told them how homesickness could manifest more noticeably when there was a whole dimension between them and their home. According to her, the feeling—which felt to Robin like stone fingers tightly seizing something inside his chest and quickly letting go—was harmless as long as they knew where they truly belonged. That didn't stop it from jarring Robin when it overtook him now and then.

And everything that had seemed funny less than a minute ago wasn't funny anymore. How were they supposed to finish their mission and finally go home if they were this clumsy? Sure, no one was hurt—Jinx only had a tiny mark on her forehead and Speedy had avoided getting burnt—but it was still really pitiful. No wonder the Justice League thought they couldn't take care of themselves.

"We need to find out what Slade's planning," said Robin sternly. He must have struck the right tone this time, because everyone straightened up and paid attention. "We need to find him and we need to take him down before he hurts anyone."

"Anyone else," Raven corrected. "Robin, you can't ignore the possibility that Slade's plan has to do with—"

"I'm not. Trust me, no one takes this more seriously than me."

"If you told him, he might have understood."

"If it gets to a point where I need to tell him more, I will. But not yet. I promise, we'll take care of Slade before…" Before the kid makes the same mistakes I did. Except he already made one. "He should have stayed with his team. None of this would even—" Robin grew flustered, and ran a hand through his hair. "I mean— Why— Why would he run off like that, and face Slade on his own?"

"I don't know, Robin," Raven replied evenly. "You tell me. Why would he run off like that, and face Slade on his own?"

"That was different! I knew he was a robot, and he was getting away, and…"

Robin's teammates had their differences, but at that moment they all managed to give him the exact same look (which was especially impressive considering that Raven couldn't see the other three and vice versa). A look that told Robin how utterly unconvincing he was being, and that he better shut his mouth because any more talking would only dig him deeper into the hole he'd created with his words.

"Dude, you're starting to act crazy and Slade-obsessed again," said Beast Boy.

"Guys, I'm fine. It's fine."

Speedy shook his head as he dabbed at the front of his shirt with a dish rag. "No, it's not. We think you have a problem."

"Robin," said Jinx reassuringly, "we're doing this because we care about you…"

Robin blinked in incredulity. "Is this an intervention?" Was this what they had been talking about before he walked in?

"A Slade-tervention," Beast Boy quipped. "Look, we know he's the Joker to your Batman, but…"

"No, I wouldn't say that," Speedy interjected. He had gone back to inspecting his arrows, and was weighing a trick one in his hands. "The Joker's way crazier."

"It's the whole nemesis thing."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Beast Boy, it's completely different." And who would know more on the subject than Robin, who had first-hand experience with the Joker, Batman, and Slade?

"I agree with Robin," Jinx cut in as she helped herself to one of the sandwiches Beast Boy made. "I don't think the Joker ever tried to mold Batman into a mini version of himself."

"Fine," Beast Boy conceded. "Then… Slade's… the Lex Luthor to Robin's—"

Her first bite of PB&J was swallowed just in time for her to interrupt. "No, that's not quite it, either."

"Can we please stop with the comparisons?" asked Raven politely. Underneath that 'please' was a hidden warning. She only ever asked politely once.

"Yeah, I thought we were supposed to be intervening." Speedy pointed an arrow at Beast Boy in accusation. "This is the worst intervention ever."

"S'okay," said Beast Boy. "Let's start over."

"Lets not." Robin was determined to nip the intervention idea in the bud. "Guys, Slade orchestrated this entire inter-dimensional mess, used us as test subjects, and we don't know all the details about how orwhy. It's understandable that I'm intent on catching him." Robin paused and met eyes with each member of his team in turn. "I don't think you're taking this seriously enough."

They all stared at Robin, unimpressed, like he had proven their point for them, and then Speedy mouthed something to Beast Boy and Jinx that looked like 'lost cause'.

"And he attacked a parallel version of myself," Robin added.

"Are you still freaked out about that?" asked Beast Boy. "Why? What would he want with a thirteen-year-old Robin?"

"That is a loaded question," Speedy said in a low voice.

"Seriously. I don't see the whole apprentice thing happening, if that's what you're worried about. The whole reason Slade liked Robin was because Robin was like him, and Robin Jr doesn't seem to be a whole lot like Robin, so he's not like Slade. So Slade like, won't like Robin Jr. You know?"

"Eloquently put," Raven remarked. Her eyes were closed as she spoke. Robin often wondered whether she could actually do the impossible and converse while meditating, or if she just pretended to meditate so that she could pick and choose what she responded to and when. Knowing Raven, it could be either one.

"Little Boy Blunder might be easier to manipulate," explained Jinx. "He's younger, so he's innocent and impressionable. Not to mention super adorable. I think we should arrange a trade, actually. He's precious."

"If he wanted a Robin as his apprentice again, he wouldn't need to cross dimensions. He could just retry the probe thing, with a better remote that could target people one at a time." Beast Boy turned to Robin with a grin and said jokingly, "Hey, Robin. If Slade's remote control was half as fancy as the one for our TV, you'd still be working for him."

 _And you'd probably be dead_. That was a horrible thought, so Robin kept his mouth clamped shut. He wasn't like Beast Boy. He couldn't make light of that experience, no matter how much time had passed. It had all been too real. Awful and unexpected like a bad dream, except he'd known that there was no hope of waking and having it all disappear. And all of it was his fault, too. He had fallen straight into Slade's trap, and was waist-deep in the quicksand that was the man's 'deal' before he even realized what happened.

Beast Boy kept grinning crookedly. "I can't believe he didn't think of that."

"You should be a criminal mastermind, Beast Boy," Speedy said absently.

"Really?" He looked far too excited at the idea.

"Slade can't get his hands on that kind of technology again," said Robin. "The Justice League is keeping tabs on the field of nanorobotics, since that happened. If Slade started asking around and looking for parts, we'd hear about it." Hopefully.

It had been beyond embarrassing to explain what happened with Slade to Batman back then, but it was worth the humiliation—Robin's few short sentences of warning likely stopped Slade from a repeat attempt targeting either the Titans or the Justice League.

Speedy smirked at Robin. "Maybe Slade'll make you two Robins fight each other to the death to see who's more worthy of being his apprentice."

"Speedy, don't even joke like that."

"Too soon?" Speedy was answered with a glare. "All right, sore subject. Got it."

Brushing aside arrows to make room (much to the archer's aggravation), Jinx hoisted herself up to sit on the countertop. "So," she said thoughtfully, "Slade may or may not be trying to get a new, younger Robin apprentice."

Beast Boy shook his head. "I think he's just trying to take things over."

"So, Slade may or may not be trying to get a new, younger Robin apprentice. Or take things over," Jinx revised.

"Or take over things."

"Well, we've made progress tonight." Speedy yawned. "I say we quit while we're ahead."

"I wish I knew where he got the parts to build those robots so soon." Thoroughly exasperated, Robin pressed his palm to his forehead. "He said he had 'contacts'. But who? And how?"

"Oh!" To get their attention, Beast Boy flailed his arms like he was in a classroom and desperate to answer the teacher's question. "What if this is where he's from? This world? And he travelled to ours, and now he's back home?"

"I don't know… Could be, but that theory's a little—"

"Oh!" The flailing became wilder, and he almost whacked Speedy in the back of the head. "I just thought something else! There could be another Slade here, and they're plotting together! What if—now just hear me out—what if the Slades both want something similar? And they're working together to make it happen." He gestured a large square in front of him with his hands. "Picture this: Slades with matching Robin apprentices, taking things over. Or taking over things. Can you imagine?"

"Aww!" Jinx drawled sardonically. "That's so—"

Robin narrowed his eyes in warning. "Choose your next words carefully."

"—not cute. Not a cute idea at all." But she couldn't keep a straight face as she said it, sharing a small, wicked grin with Beast Boy.

"But still, what if there are two Slades?" asked Beast Boy. "How messed up would that be?"

"There wasn't anything about Slade in this Justice League's database," recalled Robin.

"Yeah, but back then we didn't know he was involved," said Speedy. "It wasn't like we went searching for information about him from the start." I did, thought Robin. "He could be in the higher-security files that we couldn't access."

"So, there may or may not be two Slades here," summarized Jinx.

"Wow, we're on a roll tonight," Speedy said sarcastically.

For the first time in a while, Raven spoke. "I don't think two Slades would get along very well…"

Speedy crossed his arms. "Then maybe we should stand aside and watch them take each other out."

"Your stab at pragmatism is, well, deplorable," said Jinx haughtily. "But you do have a point. Sort of. We let them fight, and go after Rouge in the meantime. Perfect plan."

"No, we have to go after Slade first. He's actively attacking us." And Robin didn't like how Slade had stopped roaming and stuck to Metropolis for the past three days… It was even more ominous. Had he set up a base? "If we could just get one confrontation with him—the real Slade—without that other team around, I'm sure we could beat him." Knowing he was going to regret asking the next question, he winced in advance. "Any ideas?"

Speedy cleared his throat importantly. "We should take a less gentle approach." He punched a fist to his palm. "A much less gentle approach. Here's what we'll do: lure them out tomorrow night, and then beat the crap out of them so they can't follow us when we go take down Slade afterwards."

"That's an awful idea," said Jinx after a long pause in which everyone stared at the archer and wondered if he was joking. "There's no way it would work. I mean, how do you suggest we fight the Superboy? We can't. He's invincible."

That was why it was an awful idea?

"We're not fighting them," stated Robin as clearly as possible so his teammates got the message. "We're not fighting them ever again."

"We could lure them into a trap instead. A trap to keep them contained long enough so we can go after Slade," Jinx suggested, and then added nonchalantly, "and/or Rouge."

"If we try anything like that," said Raven, "the Justice League will be outraged. I have a feeling their patience is wearing thin, and any threats to that team will be the last straw."

A connection was made, so sudden and significant that it left Robin feeling jolted like he'd stuck his finger in a socket. He stiffened, eyes wide and then narrow, making everyone look over at him and wonder what was wrong.

"I— I just remembered something Red X said," Robin explained. "About how it was getting too hard to 'try anything' in our world, because of the increase in hero presence."

"You think Slade's here because of that reason, too?" asked Raven.

"Could be. It makes sense. There aren't any Teen Titans here. There's just the Justice League, and they'll have a harder time keeping control everything by themselves." There was that team of young heroes too, but they seemed more like the League's errand-runners than a force to be reckoned with in their own right. "In our world—us, plus the League—we…"

"We suffocated our bad guys so much that Slade came here for a little air," finished Speedy.

"It's only a theory, but…"

"You mean this is all because we did too good a job?" Beast Boy groaned in frustration and tugged at his hair. "Can we ever just win and have things stay won?"

"No. Things don't work that way," Speedy told the green boy with mock-solemnity. " Welcome to the hero business, Beast Boy."

"Clearly we didn't do 'too good a job'," said Robin, "or we would have figured out Slade's plan and stopped it before anyone crossed over into this universe."

"None of this would have happened if you kept all the villains frozen after the Brotherhood incident," Jinx told them, and Robin knew she wasn't only referring to the inter-dimensional disaster.

"That's inhumane," Raven replied.

"They would've done it to you."

"Exactly."

"We don't make those decisions, Jinx," said Robin. "We just round up the bad guys."

"Speaking of rounding up the bad guys…" said Speedy. "What's our next move? If we can't go after Slade without those kids throwing themselves into danger after us…"

"Same for Madame Rouge," Jinx muttered.

"We could take down Killer Moth. He should be easy," Beast Boy said. "I wonder what he's doing. He hasn't moved in like, a week."

Jinx shrugged. "The usual: sulking and hiding and plotting. Probably thinks Kitten's in prison here somewhere, ever since we caught her, and looking for a way to bust her out."

"He hasn't had enough time to raise any moth larvae thingies though, has he?"

"Don't think so. We have him pegged at what—a three week cycle from breakout to plot execution?" She looked to Robin for confirmation.

"About three and a half, at most."

"Yeah, but that's back at home, where he's not all loopy and confused and where he knows where to find supplies and equipment and stuff," said Beast Boy. "So we should have plenty of time, right?"

"Slade didn't seem to have a problem getting his robots built, though," Robin pointed out.

Jinx stretched and yawned like a cat. "Robot armies are much more commonplace than moth armies. Give me unlimited cash and a few days and I bet I could get over a hundred droids built for myself."

"Are we actually going to chase after Killer Moth next?" asked Raven. "I thought Slade was our number one priority."

"We're not, and he is," Robin said.

"Then why are we having this discussion?"

"Beast Boy brought it up," said Jinx, smoothly shifting the blame.

"I was just trying to bounce ideas around!" Beast Boy pouted and crossed his arms defensively. "But, fine, if you don't want me to say anything then I won't." That vow of silence lasted under ten seconds. He stared past Robin, eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment. "Uh… you know how sometimes you can see double? Am I seeing half, or did the number of signals drop?"

Robin turned his head, following Beast Boy's gaze down the hallway, through the open door of the control room, and to the computer screen that was tracking the energy signals in the country. There were supposed to be nine, but clearly there was less than that.

Robin dashed into the control room and his eyes scanned the screen in disbelief. He blinked, hoping that it was a trick his tired eyes were playing on him and the signals would magically reappear. They didn't.

He counted slowly. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven… One, two, three, four, five, six, seven… One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven…! He zoomed out and checked the entire planet for dots, but there were no more than seven. Five Titans. Two criminals, one in Gotham City and one in Metropolis: Red X and Slade. (And although Robin should be frantic over the disappearances, he took a small breath of relief because they still had Slade.)

"Where did they go?" demanded Jinx from the doorway where the other Titans except Raven had gathered, verging on shrill. "Where did they— She can't just— We have to find her!"

"How did they disappear like that?" asked Speedy.

"That team said they wanted to help…" Beast Boy reminded them. "Maybe they did, and found a way to—"

Robin shook his head. "No, it can't be. Cyborg would notice. He would call us right away. There has to be another reason…" And there was. There was another reason and it was a bad one. "Why is he way brighter?" Robin muttered to himself.

"What?"

"Kid Flash said it when he saw me and Red X. He had these special goggles, and with them he could see the energy left by the portal. He asked why Red X glowed brighter than me." And Robin had been too worried about X and getting away from the Kids to register what was hidden in those words.

Speedy understood. "The energy residue's wearing off."

Scowling darkly, Jinx vented by slamming a fist against the wall. "It's official: this universe hates us."

"Well," said Beast Boy, "at least there's no way things can get any—"

"Don't say it!" Speedy interrupted quickly, motioning for him stop. "You know what happens when someone says that."

"There's no point," said Jinx spitefully, noticing Robin place markers on the map where Rogue and Killer Moth had last been; between Steel and Gotham, and in Washington, DC. "We'll never find Rouge now. She travels around too much."

Robin didn't reply, too busy wondering how things could have gone from bad to worse to horrible; too busy wishing that it was their own signals that had disappeared, so the Justice League couldn't track them. The Titans crossed over a week after the villains, and it wasn't like they could wait a whole week for their signals to fade before making their next move. Who knew how much Slade could accomplish in a whole week? He'd already accomplished too much already. They had allowed him to accomplish too much already. He had set up suppliers, created robot minions, and possibly established a base in Metropolis while the Titans were busy fighting the other heroes.

"Robin, what are we gonna do now?" Beast Boy asked hesitantly. "Things are getting kind of...serious…"

"One more day," said Robin. "Just one more. If we don't manage to bring in Slade by this time tomorrow, we go to the Justice League and…" Beg them to take down Slade for us. "…ask them for help."

His teammates shrank from the idea, because the Teen Titans had never asked the Justice League of their own universe for help. Never. Help from the older heroes wouldn't come unconditionally. If the Titans started wavering and showing weakness, the League would see them as incapable—think that they needed supervision—and the League would pry into the Titans' affairs until they eventually lost their independence and were swallowed up by the larger organization.

Robin gulped, remembering how close the Justice League had come to doing just that, a few months ago. He and Batman were on even worse terms since then, if that was possible.

All the yelling… Robin had tried to explain that it wasn't his fault; that it hadn't been done on his orders; that he hadn't even known until it was too late, but that empty, dead feeling inside his gut told him that, as leader, it was entirely his fault. Batman had heaped on the blame, calling him irresponsible and reckless, stupid and careless. What did Robin expect was going to happen? Leading a bunch of untrained, inexperienced kids into danger like that? This wasn't a game—it was an unyielding, unmerciful, demanding… the smallest mistakes meant dire consequences… it could and would happen again… clearly wasn't taking his responsibility as leader seriously enough… the others followed him blindly; trusted him absolutely… any negligence on his part would result in… And then Robin called his old mentor some unpleasant names back, and it all went downhill from there.

"This… this has gone on long enough." He only hoped that they hadn't screwed everything up by waiting as long as they did.

"Well…" began Speedy with the air of someone who had something fantastic to share, so everyone better listen up or they would miss out. "If we have one more day left, why not make the most of it? I have an idea—"

"We're not beating them up, Speedy. I already told you—"

Speedy held up his hands in a 'whoa there' gesture. "Robin! Hey! Just let me talk for a sec, all right?" To annoy Robin, Speedy waited long enough for him to get impatient before speaking again. "Like I was saying before I was interrupted, we have one more day. First point: that other team… They said they worked for the League. They're still sidekicks. They're kids, and tomorrow's a weekday."

"You don't actually think that'll work, do you?" Jinx pursed her lips critically. "Being goody-two-shoes heroes won't stop them from playing hooky if the League wants them to."

Speedy deliberately ignored her. "Second point: I think they're a secret team. We usually work at night, and I think they do, too."

That theory made Jinx do an about-face. "Kid Flash was wearing black." Realization was dawning in her eyes. "He never wore black."

"We didn't find out about them until they started chasing after us," continued Speedy, "and there's nothing about them on the internet."

Beast Boy nodded slowly. "That's right! They didn't even have a fan page. We have like, fifty of them. But maybe they're an unpopular team, so nobody made one for them…" At the word 'unpopular' his gaze drifted over to Speedy. "Wait, do you guys at Titans East have one?"

"Of course we do," Speedy answered shortly.

Raven's voice drifted out of her room. "Fan pages run by Control Freak don't count."

"Hey, we earned that fan page! You're just jealous—"

"That he moved to Steel City to stalk you and now we don't have to deal with him anymore? Yes, we're so envious, Speedy."

"Whatever." Speedy scowled for a moment. Seeing the expectant look on Robin's face, he got back on topic. "Right. So, if we go out during the day, we might catch them off-guard and get a good few hours to ourselves. They won't be expecting it."

Robin sighed tiredly. "That's risky. We want to avoid going out during the day if we can, especially in cities as populated as Metropolis. If we're seen by civilians…"

"But I don't think they want to risk being seen by civilians either, if they can help it. They're a secret team. And if they do decide to come after us, we'll have them scrambling to prepare for the mission, giving us a bit of time."

"I'm not sure…" Robin put his hand to his chin as he thought, aware that everyone was watching him and waiting for an answer. He was really on the fence. What were their chances of locating Slade, of all people, in a city like Metropolis? Slim to none. Their only hope would be if Slade confronted them.

"We could wear disguises?" offered Beast Boy. Robin, yanked from his train of thought, stared at him in confusion. "You know, so people don't notice us? I couldn't, but the rest of you could?"

"No. If we can't find Slade, we want Slade to be able to find us." And fighting Slade in restricting civilian clothes without proper gear would be a death wish. Great, Robin was already fleshing out the details of the plan. He supposed that now he didn't have any choice but to roll with it. "We'll just have to be extra careful not to be seen by anyone besides him."

"Good idea, then?" asked Speedy. "You think it'll work?"

"It might," admitted Robin. "But if it does, it'll only work once. So we have to make it count. If they don't show up, great. If they do, then…" He shrugged. "It's worth a shot. I hope you guys don't mind getting up early tomorrow."

There was a collective groan.


	15. Chapter 15

**.**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 _—Teen Titans: Robin—_

 _—Unknown—_

"Robin…"

A voice. Hovering somewhere above him. Feebly, he tried to grasp it with his foggy mind. It slipped away. Couldn't hold on to it. Why bother? No point. Maybe later. He let himself sink back into—

"Please, Robin. You need to…"

Still there? Go away, he wanted to tell it. Leave me alone. It kept talking, shattering his peace, annoying him—and with that annoyance came frustration, stirring inside of him. There was something… something… something important. Needed to remember. But he couldn't and that only frustrated him more.

"… Gotta wake up, dude."

Wake… up? Trying. Can't. Sorry. Gonna go back to… What was that? Pain? On his face. Stinging, smarting pain. Hurt. And then he couldn't help but focus on it, which left him stuck. Stuck somewhere between where he'd been and where the voice wanted him to be… Wait. How did he get hurt? Needed to remember. Frustrated. Can't. Important. Annoying—that voice wouldn't stop talking.

"Robin!"

The volume jolted Robin awake, consciousness and vague memories flooding back. He became too aware of the grey, gloomy sky above, the spike of pain on the side of his face, the hard concrete of the alleyway under his back, and the stricken green eyes looking down at him.

Grey sky… It was late afternoon. Storm was coming. The sky was as cloudy as his mind felt.

Pain… He remembered a dark-gloved fist charging at him, his vision erupting into stars that quickly burned out into pure black, and then the world falling away.

Alleyway… A city. Metropolis. He'd been running through the streets of Metropolis, trying to reach his friends. Friends that were in danger.

Green eyes… Beast Boy. Just Beast Boy. The others…

"Sl—Slade," Robin croaked, sitting upright so quickly that his head spun with dizziness. He must have hit his head at some point, since he could feel a bump growing on the back of his skull. He felt it gingerly and concluded that it wasn't serious. He'd had worse.

Beast Boy was crouched, hugging his knees, beside Robin. "He's gone."

None of Beast Boy's physical transformations—not the exotic animals, the dinosaurs, or the alien creature he once turned into—were as startling as the transformation in attitude that he took in the most dire of situations. There was no grin or light-hearted comments. His face was set in a hard expression of fierce determination, to hide how defeated and frantic he must have felt on the inside.

Robin was almost scared to ask. But he had to. "What happened?" It hurt to talk. His throat was dry and sore, and his grazed and swelling—but not bleeding, he discovered—cheek was stretched when he moved his mouth. He thought he tasted blood.

"He threw you off a seven-story building," explained Beast Boy as Robin slowly got to his feet. "You were out cold, but I caught you before you hit the ground. And then he got away, and…"

A memory flashed in Robin's mind, of a body clothed in a cloak, crumpled on the ground. No.

He looked around desperately, but the only other person in the alleyway was Beast Boy. "Where's Raven? Beast Boy, where is she?"

The other boy's posture was slumped. Even his ears drooped. "I don't know. She was there on the roof… and then I had to jump after you, and I went back right away but Slade was already gone and so was she." Beast Boy bent down and picked up Robin's bo-staff from where it was lying on the ground and handed it to him. "Here. I found this up there. Their communicators were left behind too, but they were smashed. And Speedy's bow was broken, and I have no idea what happened to his arrows."

Robin ran his gloved hand over the pitted and chipped metal of the weapon, remembering his fight with Slade, and suppressed a shiver. "You left Raven?" he asked hoarsely.

Beast Boy seemed to think that was an accusation, which wasn't Robin's intention. "I didn't have a choice! I mean, I did, but it wasn't much of a choice. It was her or you, and you would've died." Biting his lip, Beast Boy looked down at his feet in shame, unable to meet Robin's masked eyes. "...I almost didn't," he confessed. "I almost— You almost hit the ground. You were this close—" He conveyed the distance with his fingers and Robin wasn't sure if he was exaggerating for effect or if it really had been that close. "—because I almost—"

"It's okay. You did the right…" Robin took a deep breath. "It's okay." It was the opposite of okay. Nothing was okay. "Speedy and Jinx are gone." It wasn't a question. It was an observation. Robin's head was muddled, and he was trying to get his facts straight.

Beast Boy nodded sullenly. "Rouge and that other guy took them, I think."

That other guy. The one Robin didn't see, because he and Rouge were gone with two of four beaten Titans before Robin had arrived.

"What did he look like?" Robin asked.

"Uhh…" Beast Boy screwed up his face, thinking hard for the right words to describe him. "He was kind of tall, and threw around a big, sharp stick. He was wearing a mask. Not like yours. It looked like a goalie mask, like hockey players wear—"

A name came to Robin automatically. "Sportsmaster."

"You know him?"

"I know of him," answered Robin. "But I don't know why he and Slade would be working together." Or with Madame Rouge, for that matter.

"I don't think they're working together, I think they're both working together with another person, if that makes sense. The way they were talking… I don't know."

Distant thunder rumbled like the tolling of a clock tower, telling them that time was slipping away.

Squaring his shoulders, Robin started walking. "We'll find out more when we save the others."

Beast Boy stared at Robin in confusion, like the leader had started speaking in a new language. "But, how are we—?"

"Let's head to the ship," Robin said firmly. "We'll figure something out. We'll fix this."

oOo

 _—Teen Titans : Robin—_

 _—Friday; Metropolis—_

 _—Earlier—_

Every hour on the hour, the Titans met up to compare notes and tried not to complain about the fact that another hour had passed with no sign of Slade.

The three from the original team were waiting on Jinx and Speedy in the narrowest, quietest alleyway Robin had been able to find. He was the expert, having spent their entire time in Metropolis exploring the back lanes. Speedy could get away with masquerading as his inter-dimensional counterpart, but according to the others Robin would come across as 'some kind of weirdo' if he stepped into civilian sight.

Robin's current company, Raven and Beast Boy, couldn't walk in the open without drawing attention either, but unlike Robin they had powers that could allow them to soar in the sky like a bird or slither over the ground like a shadow. The only things keeping Robin from being spotted by civilians were his own instincts and Batman-taught skills in the area of stealth.

In other words, Robin hadn't been spotted by civilians yet.

They had Slade's location narrowed to one quadrant of the city. Even so, that left a lot of ground to cover—Metropolis was huge, and none of them were very familiar with it.

Beast Boy sighed loudly. "At least none of those other heroes have shown—"

"Careful," a voice interrupted. "Don't want to jinx it."

Walking towards them from the street was Jinx, the only one of them that could pretend to be a nameless civilian. Dark sunglasses hid her eyes. With her bright pink hair that she wore loose and her dark dress and striped stockings, she didn't exactly blend in, but she could pass as someone who wanted to make an extreme fashion statement.

"Sorry I'm late." She held up a number of snack food items. Chocolate bars and small bags of chips. "I brought provisions," she announced.

"Where did you get those?" Robin asked, suspicious.

"Convenience store," she said innocently.

"How did you get those?"

She took off her sunglasses and smirked. "I'll never tell."

"Jinx, if you stole them, then we can't—"

"Relax, Robin. I paid for them fair and square."

"With whose money?"

"Yours. You really keep everything in your utility belts, don't you?"

"Stop going through my stuff," he said with a stern frown. That girl may have washed her hands clean of crime, but she still had sticky fingers.

"Oh, come on, Robin. Don't give me that glare. I was thinking ahead. We missed lunch and we've been out here for hours. It's important that we keep our energy up—something I learned from Kid Flash."

When she put it that way (using a name that she hadn't been able to say casually since…) Robin wouldn't be able to say no without feeling like a total jerk. And maybe, just maybe, he was a tiny bit hungry. A tiny bit. He held out a hand and she slapped a candy bar into his palm.

Raven very politely refused, and Beast Boy happily took her share.

"Slade will be no match for a group of teenagers on a sugar rush," she said tonelessly.

Beast Boy read the ingredient list on a chip bag, and then grinned and ripped it open. "That's the spirit, Raven."

Robin tilted his head up to look at the slice of sky between buildings. It was at its bluest, except for the dark grey—almost black—cloud bank rolling in from the south. Time was ticking.

Overlooking the urgency in finding Slade, and the dread from the very real possibility that they wouldn't succeed and would have to go talk to the Justice League, it was kind of nice to be out and about during the day. They didn't spend time outside in the daylight often, and never for very long, and never in cities as bustling as Metropolis.

He could almost fool himself into thinking that this was another mission in Jump City.

"What's taking Speedy so long? You think he got into trouble?" asked Beast Boy.

Robin shook his head. "He said he'd be a few minutes late." It was too soon to jump to conclusions.

"Probably doing something lame and heroic like saving a cat from a tree," Jinx said scornfully.

"Since we've got some time to kill… can we talk about something?" Beast Boy ventured. "Walking around is totally boring, so I started thinking, and…"

"Stop the presses," Raven declared.

"Dude! Not funny!" he exclaimed. "Ok, I realized that we still haven't thought of a snazzy name for the ship. I'm sick of calling it just the ship, or whatever. And we can't call it the T-Ship because we already have a T-Ship."

"Well, we didn't have enough time for a proper champagne christening," Jinx reminded him. She thought about it for a moment. "How about the Invisible T-Plane?"

"That's like, copyright infringement. The Justice League would sue us so hard. And here I thought you swore off crime," he teased good-naturedly.

She tugged at the hem of her dress uncomfortably. "Guess that—unlike you—this leopard can't change her spots."

Robin scowled at Beast Boy. "This really isn't the time."

"But, names are important!" Beast Boy insisted.

"Don't worry, Beast Boy. We'll get a committee right on it," said a voice over their heads, making Jinx and Beast Boy jump back, startled. Robin and Raven were unsurprised.

On a nearby fire escape, Speedy was leaning against a railing and looking down on them. He vaulted over and landed neatly, then straightened and dusted off his hands, unconcerned with being the last one to show up.

"Hey, food," he said, seeing the half-eaten snacks they were holding.

Jinx threw—not an underhand toss, an overhand throw—a chocolate bar at him, that he caught with one hand. Eyes narrowed, he looked from her, to the treat, to her, to Robin.

"Is this—"

"It's not poisoned," snapped Jinx. "Eat it or don't, but stop being rude."

The former action was chosen, and Speedy mumbled something that might have been a thank you except his mouth was too full for it to be coherent—probably his intention.

"Speedy, what was the hold up?" Robin asked.

He swallowed and said, "Some kid spotted me in the park and wanted an autograph. He wouldn't leave me alone. Apparently I'm not his favourite sidekick, but he hasn't gotten to meet Aqualad yet, and until then I'm close enough. And the kid kept asking where Green Arrow was." He smiled to himself. "I said that Black Canary grounded him."

Raven looked down her nose at the archer in disbelief. "I doubt that Slade's going to be walking around in a park."

Speedy shrugged. "Who knows? He could've been there to hunt for more super-powered kids to bend to his will."

"And was he?" she asked pointedly.

"…No." There was a long pause. "You guys got better ideas?"

"We should put up posters," suggested Beast Boy. "'Have you seen this criminal mastermind?'"

"I'd swap criminal mastermind out for megalomanic," Jinx advised. "It's got a better ring to it."

This meeting was going nowhere fast, Robin decided. They couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"No leads?" he asked, and everyone predictably shook their heads. "Let's go another round."

"How long are we going to keep doing this for?" asked Jinx, her hands on her hips in an irritated pose.

"Until we find Slade or the League shows up to shut us down."

"I was looking for a number, but nooo, that works too," she muttered under her breath as she turned and walked away.

They split up. Jinx took to the sidewalks and Speedy took to whatever rooftops he could reach, since Metropolis had plenty of towering, metal-and-glass skyscrapers. Beast Boy and Raven each followed one of their pieces of 'bait', close enough to be nearby in case of a fight, but far enough to cover ground on their own.

Robin went on his own, sneaking through the alleyways and taking shelter in any shadows he could find. He roamed in the middle ground between the two pairs, and checked their positions on his communicator every ten minutes, and wished that Slade would hurry up and ambush him already.

Slade had to be aware that the Titans were here searching for him. This had to be exactly what Slade wanted them to do. Why else would he have sought them out last night?

Slade was here somewhere. Somewhere. In a gleaming skyscraper, or a squat brick building, or a rundown and condemned factory. Or right behind Robin, rustling the dead leaves on the pavement by the garbage bins.

No, that was a stray cat. It hissed at him and then darted away.

Robin wandered away, each corner he rounded taking him farther from the others. He knew it was stupid, but that was the point. If Slade was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, Robin would give him that opportunity. Robin would be reckless and distance himself from his friends until Slade wouldn't be able to resist coming out into the open and attacking him.

He would act as his own bait.

Come and get me, Slade.

He kicked pebbles. He didn't bother trying to hide his footsteps. He was a beacon in his bright colours. And still Slade didn't confront him.

He was alone in the dingiest alleyway yet. If this was Gotham City someone would have tried to mug him by now. The sky was getting darker by the minute, from both swirling clouds and the sun sinking lower.

Just as he was about to reach for his communicator to check on his teammates, it chimed. When he opened it Beast Boy said the two words Robin had been waiting to hear all day.

"Found him!"

"Really?" Robin blurted. "Where is he? What's he doing?"

"He's on a rooftop, standing around. Oh… he's not alone. There's another guy, in a mask. Scary-looking, sort of. And there's a third person. A woman— Uh oh."

"What?" asked Speedy. The whole team was linked up and listening eagerly.

And Beast Boy whispered the one word Robin would rather not hear. Not today. Not right now. "...Rouge."

Steeling himself, Robin tried to see this as an advantage instead of a unexpected complication. Maybe they could get Rouge and Slade at the same time.

"Stay there and wait for back-up Don't lose Slade. We'll be there in…" Checking Beast Boy's position on the small screen made Robin's stomach drop in disappointment. "What? You were supposed to be sticking with Jinx! Why did you travel so far without calling in?"

"I caught a scent and didn't want to lose it. If I turned back to human I would've—"

"Like you're one to talk, Robin. Look how far you went!" Speedy scoffed.

"My ETA's probably five minutes," said Jinx in an eerily calm voice. By the scuffling and shouts of outrage coming from her end, Robin could tell that she was already hurrying down a sidewalk, pushing people out of her way. "But I'll try to make it four."

"Ours will be around that, too," Raven informed them. "I'll pick up Speedy and we'll be there soon. Robin, I could pick you up too."

"No, don't worry about me." He was too far out of her way. She would have to go past Slade and then double-back to reach him. "You two go straight to Slade. We can't let him get away. I can make it on my own."

Raven's line went silent as she conjured herself into swiftly-traveling dark energy.

"You're really far away, Robin," Speedy pointed out. "It'll take you what, twelve minutes? Fifteen?"

"I'll be there in seven or less," Robin said with conviction. He had a plan. There was a route that might cut his travel time considerably, if he was lucky.

"Yeah, good luck with that," said Speedy with a snort, almost reading Robin's thoughts.

"Wait for me before you attack," Robin ordered his team as he grappled himself up onto a rooftop and started sprinting. "But don't let Slade out of your sight for a second. We can't lose him. Beast Boy, are they talking? Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Yeah, just a sec." Beast Boy whispered quickly, "Slade's asking the other masked guy how his family is, and the other masked guy's all like, 'I could ask you the same thing', and Slade's like, 'But you won't, if you value your life', and…"

"Beast Boy, be serious!" Robin hissed.

"I am! That's really what they're saying!"

"What about Rouge?" asked Jinx breathlessly. "What's she doing?"

"I don't know. Just standing there. Something's weird… the other guy keeps calling Slade by a different name. I'm having trouble hearing, and I can't get closer or they'll hear me talking to you guys.

"I have an idea," said Robin, leaping from one building to another. "There's a small compartment on the back of your communicator, open it and you'll find—"

"Whuzzah-what-since-when-has-that-been-huh?" rambled Beast Boy, following Robin's instructions. "What the heck is this thing?"

"It's a standard bugging device. For information-gathering, and investigation…" Robin trailed off, realizing that he was the only Titan who did investigation.

"That's crazy," Beast Boy whispered. "Next you're going to tell us the communicators have texting."

"They do."

"Whoa. Cool."

"If you turn into something small, like a mouse," Robin explained, "and get close enough to them with the device, we'll be able to hear them directly, too."

"On it." Beast Boy signed off.

In a few seconds Robin heard Madame Rouge's throaty, bone-chilling voice, unmistakable with that heavy accent. "You seem familiar. You say your name is Deathstroke?"

Robin nearly stopped dead in his tracks when it was Slade's voice that answered to that name. "Yes. But I don't believe we've met."

Deathstroke? Robin mouthed to himself in disbelief.

"Her name's Rouge," a third voice said gruffly. A man that Robin didn't recognize by voice alone. "She's hired muscle, working freelance for the Shadows. Not important."

Rouge made a hmpf noise. "I am important enough to be trusted with…" The rest Robin couldn't understand, and it wasn't like he could tell Beast Boy to get closer.

"Their real operatives have their hands full. Don't think you're anything but expendable."

"Is it wise to meet in the open in this way?" she asked. "Do you forget whose city this is?"

"Unless we make a lot of noise, he won't bother us out here," replied the unknown man. Robin was irritated that neither of the other villains had addressed the man by name yet. "He's too busy helping school kids cross the street."

"Or saving the polar ice caps," Slade put in.

Whenever Slade spoke, Robin pressed the communicator hard to his ear, desperate to not miss a single word.

"You heard about that?" asked the man, and Robin's jaw clenched in frustration when he couldn't hear what Slade said in response. Closer, Beast Boy! "No, it's being done by an independent. But whatever keeps the heroes busy is fine by me."

Rouge spoke next, and Robin couldn't identify a single word.

The rooftops were getting higher and the sidewalks busier as he approached the heart of the city. Soon he would have to jump down to ground level. He didn't want to be seen, but it was the only way he could make it in time.

"Listen, lady," barked the unknown man. "One: no one cares what you would prefer. And two: when you're dealing with Deathstroke, you want as many escape routes as possible."

"I see that you don't trust me," observed Slade, almost amused.

Now or never. Robin took a steadying breath and dropped to the sidewalk, hitting the ground running.

A harsh laugh. "Does anyone? You've been gone for a long time, Deathstroke. And now you show up out of the blue with no explanation, acting different and wearing a different mask. How do I know you're not an impostor?"

The one aspect Robin hated about Metropolis was its infrastructure which, by and large, wasn't vigilante-friendly. Especially downtown. Gotham had no shortage of stone outcroppings, rough patches of brick, and other features to swing a grappling line from. Jump's buildings were generally shorter than anything in Metropolis, and had flat tops that were ideal for running across.

But Metropolis? The buildings were too steep and smooth. Unless you could fly, you were stuck at ground level in most of the city.

Robin couldn't fly. And his route took him straight through downtown. Downtown, on the sidewalks, during rush hour, running, in full uniform. People were staring. Not the usual, impressed, excited staring. They were staring like— like he was some kind of weirdo. (The other Titans had been correct on that point.)

These citizens couldn't know that he was the real deal. They just saw a teen several years older than their Boy Wonder, playing dress-up in an inaccurate costume of the most famous sidekick. Robin supposed he should be thankful that it wasn't that far off from Halloween.

These weren't his streets. This wasn't his city. This wasn't his world. It had never truly hit him like it did now.

If only he was racing by on his R-Cycle, or able to swing above—where the last rays of sun were shimmering like fire on the thousands of panes of glass—then he wouldn't have to see their faces all around him, shocked and sneering.

He tuned out everything except his next step and the conversation he was eavesdropping on with his communicator.

"I wasn't aware that I needed to explain myself to you," Slade was saying softly, dangerously. "As you've said—I've been gone for a long time. I have different goals. If you want me to prove myself, I easily could, but bear in mind that it may be your final request."

The other man didn't sound the least bit affronted. "I'm not the one calling the shots, am I? Got bigger things than you to worry about. Let's talk shop. I've heard about what—"

Robin didn't hear the end of that sentence, because a car horn shrieked beside him and he had to leap forward to get out of the way.

The light's red! he wanted to scream, but there was no time to spare and he was already sprinting away, his heart racing. I'm the pedestrian! I have right of way!

And then he thought, When I get back to Jump, I'm cracking down on bad drivers.

And then he thought, I miss Starfire. If she was here, she'd be able to—

Focus. He needed to focus.

Robin's hopes soared as he saw what he had pinned this entire route on: the monorail tracks, raised up above the street and commotion. Now he just needed…

With his unoccupied ear, he heard the whine of an approaching train and his unoccupied hand automatically reached for his grappling gun and fired, amid gasps as bystanders saw and realized that he was more than just a kid in a costume. He was an insane kid in a costume.

The unknown man was still talking, and Robin strained to hear over the gusting air. "—won't say much here, except that it can be done. Security around the target will have increased since last time, but—"

This was traveling. Robin was moving at an unbelievably fast clip, lying low with the fingers of one hand jammed in a gap between train cars as he held on for dear life.

"If I had been there," said Rouge, "the mission would have been a—"

"You weren't. And when you relay this meeting back to your bosses in the Shadows, tell them to step it up this time. We don't want another failure."

A fork in the road. There was a fork in the road, just ahead.

Pleasepleaseplease don't turn!

But Robin's internal pleading was useless; he could feel the train beginning to list to the left under him. He leapt off and started running down the tracks. He was so close. Another couple of minutes and he'd be there.

"I'm sure you'll both be relaying a lot more than that," said Slade knowingly. "There was no need for any of this to be said face-to-face. It's plainly obvious that the true nature of this meeting is to determine if I am the real Deathstroke. And I am. I'm very real. So when you report back, be sure to tell them: Deathstroke lives."

Slade's companions didn't speak for an oddly long time afterwards. And then Robin heard something worse—so much worse—than any words.

A snapping like elastic, and a squeak that turned into a pained cry.

"Well, what do we have here?" Rouge purred. "A rat? No, a child."

"Let me go, you—!"

No, Robin thought. Not Beast Boy. They couldn't hurt Beast Boy. They couldn't, because it would all be Robin's fault for telling him to get close to the villains so he could eavesdrop.

"I have seen you before. Who are you?" Rouge asked threateningly

"He's that Doom Patrol kid," said the unknown man. "Aren't you? Where's your team, boy?"

"Right here," said Raven's voice darkly, followed by her chant and loud crashes. Speedy had to be there too, then. And sure enough, when Robin listened closely he thought he heard the zings of arrows.

Robin gasped into his communicator, "Jinx, are you almost—"

He heard her speak, but not from her own communicator line, which had been disconnected. When she spoke her voice had the same tinny quality he had been hearing from the villains.

"I've waited a long time for this."

"Pah! Children," said Rouge contemptuously. "Do you think you can—"

The sounds of fighting drowned out any speaking for a while, but the interfering noise quickly grew quieter and quieter.

Robin tried not to panic when he no longer heard the chimes from hexes flying through the air, he tried not to panic when he no longer heard Raven's mantra, and he tried not to panic when he no longer heard animalistic growling and snarling.

"Hands off!" shouted the only Titan left in the battle. "Unless you want this arrow in—"

"If it isn't Speedy," said the unknown man. "Ditched the Red Arrow title already? Seemed happy with it when we ran into each other two days ago. And you've found yourself a team, too? It's like you're a whole different person."

There was a yell of pain, a heavy thud, and then an awful, drawn-out cracking noise that Robin hoped was Speedy's bow breaking, because it was either that or bones.

It was silent after that. Much too silent. Robin thought that the listening device had been crushed or damaged beyond use in the battle, until…

"End them and let's go," said the unknown man. Robin could hardly make out his voice. The sound quality seemed to have gotten worse. "This one's the only one of any value."

"We should take the others. More hostages may…" The quality had definitely gotten worse, interrupted by sizzles of static here and there. It didn't help that it was Rouge who was talking. She was difficult to understand at the best of times. "…Justice League … not want the children getting hurt, do they? And whatever you are planning with him, it may make it easier to control him if you decide the fates of his friends, no?"

"… whole group is more trouble than it's worth. We only need one more." The unknown man took a moment to presumably choose between Titans. "The Doom Patrol brat."

"No. Her. We both know how … when a pretty girl is threatened. Perhaps he harbors feelings for her."

Girl? Which girl? Jinx or Raven? Robin had a feeling that it was Jinx. From what he'd heard Rouge say, it seemed that she didn't recognize the Titans at all, but Jinx had left a big impression on the woman. The strikingly pink hair and unusual attire were bound to stir up old memories.

"You'll need a place to keep them until you can organize proper transportation," said Slade in a business-like manner. "I presume you have the address I … meet you when I'm finished here." A pause followed that, long enough to make Robin's heart hammer like it wanted to jump out of his chest as he contemplated with horror what Slade might mean by finishing. "Are you waiting for someone?"

Robin could only discern one word of the unknown man's response. "… stragglers."

"If there are, I'll take care of them right after I take care of these," Slade said. Taking care of or finishing? Which was worse? Both terms made Robin terrified beyond belief. The device started acting up again, and many of Slade's next words were lost. "…caused quite a bit of commotion. If you … get away with those two, you should run before…"

A long silence. Or maybe it only felt that way to Robin, who would have been holding his breath in fear if it weren't for the fact that he was sprinting with abandon and breathing was very important if he wanted to reach his friends.

Footsteps. Rustling. And then words, so clear that it was like Slade's smooth, venomous voice was dripping right into Robin's ear.

"Better hurry, Robin."

Static.

Robin ran faster than he had ever run in his life. He let the hand holding the communicator fall away from his face—the electronic was useless now that the listening device was broken—and ran so hard that he barely registered his feet hitting the ground.

He ran until he reached the rooftop, surprisingly sheltered by taller buildings on all sides, where Slade was standing and holding Beast Boy up by the front of his shirt. The unconscious boy's head lolled to the side. If Robin had taken any longer, then Beast Boy might not have had a head.

Raven was a puddle of dark cloak on the hard ground, not moving whatsoever. Robin hoped that she was just unconscious, too. What had Slade done to her?

"Put… him… down…" Robin gasped out as he landed, forcing himself to stand straight when all he wanted to do was collapse or at least double over for a minute.

Slade tossed Beast Boy aside like he was a rag doll.

"By all means, Robin; catch your breath. Just make it quick. I have people to meet and places to be."

Robin tried to say something in response, but the noises he made didn't make sense. Breathing hurt. His throat was raw, and though he was trying to control his breaths he couldn't stop them from coming as gasps that made his lungs press painfully against ribs that felt like they had shrunk. Breathing hurt, but the alternative wasn't an option.

He wheezed. Slade watched, entertained. Panting heavily, Robin swapped his communicator for a bo-staff and took a fighting stance.

Slade reached behind his back and pulled at the handle of something silver. Robin, expecting a staff like his own which he and Slade had fought each other with in the past, was surprised to see that it was a sword. Shiny and very, very sharp. Shiny enough to throw his own shocked expression back at him. Sharp enough to kill.

Slade swung. Robin blocked. What else could he do?

Snatches of Robin's reflection—green and yellow and red, the R symbol, and sometimes the eyes of his mask—darted across the surface of the thin, deadly blade when it slashed down at him.

The sword left notches in Robin's staff with each strike. He tried not to think about what it could do to his flesh.

He's really trying to kill me, thought Robin.

Or was he? Robin felt like Slade was playing with him; testing him. (Always testing him!) Slade could have taken down Robin when he was gasping and moving sloppily, but instead Slade chose to go easy on him and let him get his breath and strength back, and only as that was happening did Slade increase the intensity of the fight.

Robin was sick of being tested by this man.

He wouldn't let some razor-sharp, deadly, deadly metal intimidate him. Much. He mustered up all his energy and during the next block he twisted and delivered a kick to Slade's hand that made the villain drop the sword. It clattered and skidded away.

But the attack left him open to Slade grabbing his wrist and turning it painfully until Robin cried out and released his grip on his own bo-staff, which Slade cast aside. It landed even farther than the sword.

"You almost impressed me there," said Slade calmly as they circled each other.

"I'm not here to impress you!" Robin snarled.

"In that case, you're doing your job remarkably well… because you haven't."

Robin gritted his teeth. He only needed to hold off Slade for a bit longer, because he could see Beast Boy beginning to stir. The two of them shouldn't have a problem beating Slade.

Robin charged, anticipating the sound his fist would make against Slade's mask—like a bell being struck—but it was a sound he wouldn't get to hear.

Because Slade… Slade was faster.

oOo

They had left the ship in an overgrown, empty lot amid old warehouses. The whole block was slated for eventual demolition, and utterly deserted. Various billboards proclaimed the future building of a mega shopping centre. Something bigger and better—typical Metropolis.

Robin and Beast Boy returned to the ship to find half a dozen Slade-bots swarming around it.

Keeping his back against the wall of a neighboring building, Robin peeked out around the edge and counted the robots through the chain-link fence. "Why am I not surprised?" he asked dully, motioning for Beast Boy to follow him.

Beast Boy shape-shifted into a gorilla and held out his hands to boost Robin up over the fence before leaping over himself, landing in human form. "Jeez! How did he know?"

"It's Slade," was all the explanation Robin gave. It was all the explanation either of them needed.

Beast Boy glanced aside at Robin. "Titans, go?"

Robin grimaced—the closest he could get to a smile at the moment—and ran at the nearest robot, wielding his battered bo-staff. He and Beast Boy fought efficiently and brutally, not saying a single word until…

"Wait!" Robin called, as Beast Boy was poised to tear into the last Slade-bot with tiger claws. His puzzled teammate followed the order, backing away on four legs then transforming back to human and watching as Robin hurled an electric disc at the final robot, which overloaded it so that it fizzled and forced a shutdown, making it collapse to the ground but also leaving it in one piece. That was important.

Important because Robin had an idea.

"Grab its legs," Robin ordered, taking hold of the robot's arms. "Help me lift this."

"This is so gross," complained Beast Boy as they maneuvered it through the door and up into the plane.

"It's a robot, Beast Boy. Not an actual body. Just think of it like moving furniture."

Beast Boy made a face at Robin. "It feels all corpse-y."

With some struggling they managed to heave the robot into the control room, and left it slumped against the wall. Robin immediately called Cyborg on the computer. When he answered, he took one look at Robin and Beast Boy and his face darkened.

"Robin, what's going on?" he asked urgently. "Where is everybody?"

Robin cringed and tried to explain.

"You need back-up, man," said Cyborg after he finished. "I can send East, and maybe Hotspot—since it's Madame Rouge—or—"

"They won't be able to get here in time."

"Más y Menos could. And I've been upgrading the T-Ship. You'd be surprised at how fast it can go."

"What we need right now is for you to extract some information from this robot." Robin fished around in a drawer for a connecting cable and then reached underneath the dashboard, feeling for the right panel and opening it. "We need to check its memory to find the exact location of Slade's hideout." He found a port on the back of the robot's neck, and plugged it into the computer.

"Lotta good that'll do you. Two of you are going to take on Slade and Rouge?" Cyborg asked incredulously. "And I just looked up this Sportsmaster guy. He's no pushover, either."

"We'll scope out the place, and then tell you who's best for the mission," Robin said.

They couldn't call so many Titans over needlessly. What if something bad happened back at home? What if Slade wanted to stretch them thin?

"All right, but I'm putting them on standby," Cyborg compromised, but eyed Robin worriedly. "I'll see about cracking that code. Call you back in a couple minutes."

Robin sighed, exhaustion hitting him like a freight train. He heard a ripping noise, and turned to see Beast Boy opening a bandage packet and sticking the bandage over a gash on his arm, though a tear in his sleeve. Robin felt a stab of guilt—he hadn't even noticed that Beast Boy was hurt.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"A lot better than you," said Beast Boy with a shrug. He pointed at Robin's face. "You want a band-aid?"

"No thanks. I'm good."

"Do you think they're okay?" Beast Boy asked, eyes downcast. "Slade's not going to—"

"If they wanted to kill the others, they would have done it right away."

"But Slade tried to kill you."

"No, he didn't."

"He threw you off a building while you were unconscious!"

"Instead of stabbing me with the sword he had with him," Robin said bluntly. "I think he wanted to get us out of the way so he could grab Raven and take off."

"Why Raven? What does he want with her?"

"The optimistic answer is bait. But I think it's something different. I think he's planning something, and—"

"—needs Raven for it," Beast Boy finished. "But what?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." A gloomy silence followed, interrupted by Robin clearing his throat a few times. He contemplated getting a glass of water, but he didn't have the energy to get up at the moment. "I don't know who's in the most trouble right now," he said hoarsely. "Her, Speedy, or Jinx? Sportsmaster seems to have a grudge against this universe's Speedy, and that won't be good for ours."

"Do you think that Sportsmaster guy knows? That our Speedy's not their Speedy… Red Arrow… person?"

"Slade sure didn't tell him," said Robin, and then he admitted, "At first I thought that maybe Slade wasn't Slade; that he was an alternate version of him, like you were talking about last night."

"I know, right? Like, Deathstroke? Where did that come from?" Beast Boy shook his head in bafflement. "But he is ours. He's totally ours."

"And he's pretending he belongs to this universe. Doing a convincing job of it, too."

"Do you think he could have killed his alternate self and taken his place? Would that count as murder… or what?"

"But Sportsmaster said he's been gone for a long time," said Robin, remembering the conversation.

As Beast Boy thought, he spun his chair side-to-side idly. Suddenly he stopped, and asked, "Does the first time we met Slade until now count as a long time?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, hey, I was wondering… What's the 'Shadows'?" Beast Boy questioned, head cocked to the side. "Because apparently Madame Rouge is working for them now?"

"I don't know that, either," Robin said in monotone. He hated not knowing. "Whatever it is, it doesn't exist in our world."

"Madame Rouge is messed up, huh? Maybe worse than Doctor Light was. She didn't remember a thing."

"Now that she's seen us—and especially Jinx—it's only a matter of time."

Time was a huge factor here. How long until Rouge remembered her past with Jinx or just remembered that she hated her with murderous intent, regardless of details? How long until Sportsmaster realized that Speedy wasn't from this universe? How long until Slade enacted his plans… whatever they were?

"Robin… uh…" Beast Boy began tentatively. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I really, really think that we should go and talk to—"

He was interrupted by Cyborg reappearing onscreen.

"Okay, I got you a location," said their technologically-savvy friend, looking slightly pleased with himself. "Not sure if it's the one you're looking for, but it's something. Sending coordinates." Cyborg frowned at Robin. "You're just going to check it out, right? And then you'll call here and wait for back-up?"

"Hey, maybe we'll show up and find that the others already freed themselves. It's Raven. And Jinx. How are they supposed to keep those two contained?" Even as Robin said the words, they felt weak and dull like ashes. But it was something hopeful to hold onto, no matter how slim a hope it was.

"If I don't hear from you in ten minutes, I'm sending East. Deal?"

"Fine," Robin agreed. He and Beast Boy quickly and unceremoniously dragged the robot to the hatch and dumped it outside before settling back into their seats in the control room. Robin initiated the take-off sequence. "Beast Boy, help me navigate."

They focused on their tasks. Robin on flying, and Beast Boy on the screen on the console that showed their position in relation to their target.

"Umm… Robin?" Beast Boy asked when they were in the air, the tiniest hint of panic in his voice.

"Beast Boy, I'm kind of—" But Robin stopped, suddenly speechless, when he glanced over.

"I didn't do it!" Beast Boy exclaimed, holding his hands up to show that they weren't near any controls.

The small screen on the console was no longer a map. It was a countdown. Black numbers on an orange background. Five…Four…Three


	16. Chapter 16

**.**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

 _\- Teen Titans: Robin -_

 _\- Location: Metropolis -_

Five

Robin didn't have time to dwell on the troubling fact that Slade hacked their system. The ship was over water—the river than ran past Metropolis. He jabbed an auto-pilot button to make sure it stayed there, where falling debris wouldn't do much damage.

Four

He stood and grabbed Beast Boy tightly by the arm, yanking him out of his seat. Without giving the other boy a chance to prepare—that would only waste precious seconds—Robin hit the emergency hatch release: the big, red button that lay under a pane of glass that needed to be smashed in order for it to be pressed. The button they always reminded Beast Boy to not even look at funny.

Three

The windshield unhinged and swung upward. Robin stepped onto the dashboard and out into open air, pulling Beast Boy along with him.

Two

That first, stomach-dropping instant of falling was an experience he never got used to, no matter how many hundreds of tall buildings he leapt off of. The rushing air hit his face like a splash of cold water and pure adrenaline coursed through his veins when he looked down at the river below—so so far below with nothing in between.

He gripped Beast Boy's arm so tightly that it must have been painful. He was trying to tell the shapeshifter not to transform. Not yet. They had to put distance between themselves and the ship before it exploded.

One

A beat passed where nothing happened. Had the countdown been a bluff? Robin was only allowed that fleeting hope for a fraction of a second before he heard it. Not a boom, but an amplified cracking sound. There was a flash of hot white light tinged with blue, as the ship and everything inside it was incinerated.

There goes the fuel cell, Robin thought. Cyborg was going to be so mad.

The light rapidly spread outwards like a firework, dragging smoke with it. Robin was soon surrounded by the ashy, grey fog that smelled of burning. Thankfully it wasn't him burning.

He tried to hold his breath to keep the smoke out. It didn't work. An itch caught in his throat, and before he could stop it he was coughing and coughing uncontrollably and gasping smoke. In the midst of this he lost his grip on Beast Boy's arm. One second it was there and the next it wasn't.

It struck him suddenly; the sensation of falling, alone. He reached his arms straight out, finding only smoke and more smoke. He had fallen like this before but this time there was no Starfire to swoop in and save him. All he could count on was Beast Boy, who was nowhere to be found.

And then, just as suddenly, he wasn't falling anymore… he was flying? There was an arm wrapped around his torso, with no feathers, fur, or scales. A very strong arm. The smoke cleared enough so he could see Beast Boy flying nearby as a pterodactyl, looking as apologetic as a pterodactyl could look.

Robin could also see that the arm around him was clad in blue.

Oh.

Superman.

Great…

This day was getting better and better.

"Thanks for the save," Robin said awkwardly when they landed on the riverbank. He liked Superman. He did. Clark—his version of Clark—was like an uncle to him. But the whole rescue was a little embarrassing.

He last saw Superman during that meeting with the Justice League, regarding the Teen Titans. More like an inquiry than anything. Superman had pulled Robin aside and tried to talk to him reasonably about the future of the Titans and how the two groups could work together to stop more accidents like that from happening, but Robin's ears had been ringing too loudly with the echoes of his argument with Batman to listen, and he had been boiling with too much leftover resentment to react in any way other than lashing out defensively.

They hadn't spoken since. Not really. And now Clark was right here, his face breaking into a wide smile of astonishment as he looked at Robin intently, like he couldn't believe his eyes.

Superman placed a hand on Robin's shoulder. "You're all grown up."

Robin didn't know how to respond to that. So he just coughed. "Your eyebrows are covered in frost," he mumbled eventually, shrugging off the hand.

"I just got back from Antarctica. Good timing?"

"Did— Did you s-save the p-penguins?" Beast Boy stammered, awestruck at the sight of the Man of Steel. He'd met Superman a couple of times, and on each occasion he got tongue-tied and blurted out random nonsense, like he just did.

"Uh… yes. They're fine," Superman assured him. "Beast Boy, right?"

"Y-yes sir, Superman sir!" he said, saluting nervously. "That's me!"

Ice blue eyes fixed on the Titans like Superman was x-raying them (and maybe he was). "Are you two okay?"

"Okay enough," Robin answered.

Superman frowned at the bruise beginning to bloom on Robin's face. "Who punched you?"

"Slade. He also…" Robin gestured at the dark river, where bits of debris were sinking. "…arranged that fireworks show."

"I heard about him," said Superman, and the look on his face made it clear that the things he heard were only bad. "He shares similarities with a criminal we know as Deathstroke, that we haven't seen in over a year."

There was that name again. Deathstroke. Robin realized that the reason he hadn't found proof of an alternate version of Slade in the Justice League's files may have been because he'd simply looked for the wrong name.

"I also heard that you were in town," Superman continued. "I was going to try to talk to you, but I was told to wait." Robin didn't need to ask who told him so. How many people were there that could order Superman around? "And then I got called away on League business. Do you want to tell me what happened? Where's the rest of your team?"

Robin mumbled a quick and vague explanation about bad guys and teammates captured and the jet exploding.

"I can help you," said Superman. Countless people all over the world would leap at that offer from the iconic Superman. Robin wasn't currently one of them. "I know this city, and—"

"I doubt that Slade would set up a hideout here if he didn't have some insurance," Robin hinted, crossing his arms.

"Now that I think about it," said Superman after a moment of contemplation, "I know who would be perfect for the job."

"Really?" asked Beast Boy.

Superman nodded. "Yes. They're a covert team. Still learning, but they specialize in these kinds of situations and they have a history of success. They've also staked a claim in any missions involving you."

Robin groaned. "Please don't tell me that you're talking about—"

"I am. They're your best hope."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Robin didn't want to get them involved. Not in this. "We can do this on our own. We've got everything under control."

Superman looked up pointedly at the cloud of smoke dissipating in the air, where an explosion had taken place only a couple of minutes prior, and then back at Robin with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought of a name for the ship," Beast Boy said aside to Robin, also staring up at the darkening sky. "The T-tanic."

"Listen, I know it's got to be a complicated situation you're in," Superman said kindly. "I would be cautious around an alternate Justice League, too. Travel between dimensions may be a story that some members have difficulty accepting… But, if it means anything, I believe you. And no amount of skepticism would stop any member of the Justice League from helping you. We don't want you or your friends to get hurt. You don't have to do this on your own, Robin. Asking for help is hard, but after that everything becomes easier."

Not this time, Clark. It wouldn't get easier. Only more complicated.

"We are getting help," Robin informed him. "Back-up from our home dimension should be arriving any second now."

An elbow nudged Robin in the ribs insistently. "You know Cy was lying, right?" Beast Boy asked. "He wasn't going to wait ten minutes. He was going to send East right away, because he thought you were being totally insane." Beast Boy looked at his communicator, clutched in his hand. "They should have crossed over and called us by now."

"They'll be here soon," Robin maintained. "We just need to wait—"

"We're going to be waiting a long time, because they're not coming. Think about it: we plug Slade's robot into our computer, and that happens." Beast Boy jerked his thumb in the direction of the river. "What do you think happened to the Tower's systems? We can't wait for them."

Robin excused himself and Beast Boy, dragging the other boy down the riverbank from Superman to briefly talk in private. Pointless, since Superman had super-hearing and that small distance stop him from being able to hear, but it was less awkward this way. Robin could see that Superman was taking advantage of this time apart to talk to someone over his ear-communicator, likely about them.

"We can still do this, Beast Boy," Robin said in a low voice.

"No, we can't." Each word was drawn out and enunciated slowly like Beast Boy was trying to get Robin to read his lips.

"We know where he is—"

"Do we?" asked Beast Boy. "How do we know it's for real? That it's not just a trap? I bet it is. He's been one step ahead of us this whole time, because he knows exactly what you're going to do next. This needs to stop." He jabbed a finger at Robin's chest accusingly. "You promised that we would go to the Justice League for help—"

"After today. The day's not over yet." The sun was setting but there was still time. Not much, but enough.

"It's over. Robin, it's so over."

"Beast Boy—"

"No," he said, jutting his chin out. When had the height difference between them shrunk? "This is exactly like with the Brotherhood of Evil. I tried to warn you back then, but now I'm telling you—we're stronger in large numbers. This isn't like, 'oh, the Justice League has Jinx and we might get into trouble'! No, this is: 'seriously evil people have our friends and who knows what they're going to do to them'!"

"We have one last chance at this!" Robin was trying hard not to shout. "If it doesn't work, then we'll go to the League, I promise that."

"I can't believe you. I really can't," Beast Boy said softly, and then raised his voice: "You're supposed to do what's best for the team, not what's best for you! I know there's a lot of history that you don't want to deal with, but you're going to have to!"

"How can you—" Robin stumbled over the words, feeling like he'd been punched… again. "That's not—"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that's not part of the reason why."

And Robin found that he couldn't.

"Fine!" he snapped. "It is. But there's more to it. You know there's more. Working with the Justice League… has never been what's best for our team."

"Yeah, well, right now it is. Because if we don't, we might not have a team left."

That stark warning hit home. Robin was quiet as he waged an internal battle. "I can't— I can't face him, Beast Boy," he said finally. "You don't know what it's like."

"Dude, I get it." And just when Robin was about to write it off as false empathy (because how could Beast Boy possibly understand?), Beast Boy added, "I wouldn't know what to say to me, either."

Masked eyes widened when it sunk in. Robin hadn't specified which him, but Beast Boy knew he wasn't talking about Batman. Because this wasn't about Batman. Batman was Batman, and he was constant. Robin could tell him that his inter-dimensional counterpart was a criminal or the president or buried in the cold ground, and the man would simply grunt and continue his war on crime, unchanged.

No, it was about a kid who only not long ago gained his footing as a hero and Batman's partner, who was still happy with what Robin left behind, who seemed to be looking to Robin for answers, and would want even more answers when he found out the truth. Answers that Robin shouldn't—couldn't—give him.

Specifics could be kept from the kid, sure. The same couldn't be said for the entire, overarching epiphany. The seeds of doubt, the wake-up call. The not everything lasts forever. The what-ifs. Robin wasn't a good enough actor to pretend that everything was okay between him and Batman, not when the audience would be the world's greatest detective and his student.

But Beast Boy was right, and he'd been right for a while. This precarious situation had started unraveling the moment Slade stepped foot in this universe. It had slipped further out of Robin's grasp until his friends' lives were put on the line. He couldn't do this by himself.

Asking for help is hard, but after that everything becomes easier.

In reality it wouldn't be that simple, but right now he could really use easier. He really could.

And so Robin conceded, hoping beyond hope that the kid was strong enough to deal with the consequences. He was grateful that Beast Boy didn't gloat or make him say it out loud. Their agreement was silent, as was their promise of no hard feelings.

"If it would make you feel better, I could do all the talking," Beast Boy said as they walked toward Superman.

Robin almost smiled at that. He did roll his eyes. "Yeah, I don't think so."

Superman was looking at Beast Boy—who had just outright lectured the protégé of the Batman—with a high degree of respect and admiration. "So you've come to a decision?"

"We'll talk to them," said Robin.

Superman smiled at both boys. "You'll need to zeta to Mount Justice. I think the closest is actually the Gotham one, right across the water." He pointed in the direction. "It's hidden in a—"

"A phone booth. Yeah, we know."

"Do you need help getting over there?"

"No," said Robin at the same time Beast Boy said, "Yes."

"Beast Boy, you can easily fly us both over."

"Robin, it's Superman," was Beast Boy's whispered counter-argument. "Uh… it'll be faster, y'know?" he added with a nonchalant shrug.

Robin sighed defeatedly. "Just please don't ask him to—"

"Will you say 'up, up and away'?"

Too late.

oOo

—Mount Justice—

Robin stepped out of the zeta tube feeling dizzy and nauseous. He had to stop and clench his eyes shut for a second, taking a deep breath that rolled roughly through his lungs like gravel. Stupid smoke.

He had interrupted something. The whole team was in their uniforms, turned to look at him. They weren't looking at him with annoyance, or contempt—they were just looking at him, like he was a latecomer to a party and they all assumed that someone else had invited him.

And behind them was none other than Batman, who tilted his head away from a translucent screen hanging in the air to consider Robin for a long moment.

"You win," Robin told him plainly.

Robin had been expecting, what? Punishment? Reprimands? It was hard to remember that this Batman wasn't his, because they were so similar. Same dark cowl, same frown, same aura of focus surrounding him like a magnetic field to keep anything irrelevant out.

No one said a word. What were they waiting for? Was he supposed to go on his knees and beg?

"I need your help." There was so much irony in that statement that it was all Robin could do not to choke on it. Still no response. "My friends have been—"

"We know," said Aqualad. Of course they did. "Superman informed us of the situation. We were just on our way to help."

"Can't you guys go one week without getting captured?" the archer girl asked with mild condescension.

"Beast Boy is waiting outside the zeta tube. Can you clear him for access?" Robin asked Batman, who didn't say a word back but summoned a glowing keyboard out of midair and began typing.

Robin blinked. Floating keyboards and holographic screens… This entire room was a computer, so advanced that it would make Cyborg drool.

A computerized female voice spoke. "Recognized; Beast Boy, A-zero-four."

Beast Boy emerged from the glowing light of the zeta tube and turned to Robin. "You grew up there?" he squeaked, eyes round as saucers and hands jittering from his first— five-minute long—visit to Gotham City. It hadn't been that bad a part of town. Relatively speaking.

"Beast Boy," Batman said, and the shapeshifter snapped to attention. Being in the presence of Batman had an even worse effect on Beast Boy than Superman. "Did Superman give an excuse for why he didn't follow you through the zeta tube like I asked him to?"

"Y-yes, sir, B-Batman! He said he couldn't come to Mount Justice because he had to clean up what was left of our ship, s-sir. B-because it exploded. Sir."

Batman narrowed his eyes in suspicion at all the sirs, trying to figure out whether he was being made fun of, and Beast Boy withered under the gaze and seemed like he wanted to back up into the zeta tube and return to Gotham rather than be under the scrutiny of the Dark Knight.

The team exchanged glances, and it was visibly obvious that they were talking with that psychic link. Robin didn't have a clue what they were speaking about, but he could see that the Superboy was scowling heavily and clenching his fists.

Robin cleared his throat and hastened to give a retelling of the day's events, touching on details he hadn't told Superman. There were frowns all around at the mentions of the Shadows and Sportsmaster. He recalled as much of the villains' conversation as he could. None of them seemed surprised that Sportsmaster had it in for Speedy. Apparently Sportsmaster and Red Arrow had a recent conflict. The topic of the sudden signal disappearances was brought up, and for them to understand why the energy hadn't worn off for everyone Robin was forced to backtrack and quickly fill them in on Slade and Red X crossing over just last week, how the two weren't suffering from mild, brain-scrambling amnesia like the other villains, and how everything was a product of Slade's manipulation. How Slade was planning something.

It was unsettling to Robin just how little these heroes knew about the situation. Facts that Robin had taken for granted were brand new and enlightening to them. He was disappointed when none of them had a sudden revelation—they were as stumped as he was.

"I have three big questions," Robin announced after he'd explained all he could.

"We're listening," said Batman.

If information was water, then Robin was parched. The possibility of getting some real answers was almost worth the implications of when they asked for more answers in return. And they would, he knew they would. Give and take.

"One: Who is Deathstroke?"

He was, as Robin found out, a very dangerous mercenary and killer-for-hire. Little was known of him. He would appear out of nowhere to fill a contract, and then disappear again until the next. Either he hadn't been hired in a year or two, or he was dead. In any case, no one had seen him in a long time. He was suspected of having superhuman strength… enhanced reflexes, too… and possibly genius-level intelligence.

He seemed a lot like Slade. Looked like him, too, based on the blurry pictures on the screen. The mask was cloth instead of metal, but the design was the same. Deathstroke could definitely be a parallel version of Slade… but did it end there?

"Can you pull up a list of his last known locations, with dates?" asked Robin. Batman obliged, and Robin's eyes skimmed down the list until he found what he was looking for. "There." He pointed at an entry. "Beast Boy, this appearance happened about the same time that Slade was…" manipulating Terra to betray us and take over the city.

"I know. I remember," said Beast Boy, gazing at his feet with a hard look in his eyes. "That means there's two of them. Slade and Deathstroke are different people."

"You thought they were one person?" asked Miss Martian curiously.

"It was a possibility," said Robin.

"But not anymore." Kid Robin cupped his chin in his hand, thinking hard. "Still, it's a weird coincidence. Your Slade person comes to a universe where his counterpart is conveniently missing?"

"I don't believe in coincidence. Especially when it comes to Slade," Robin told him humorlessly. Robin would look deeper in the files later. That was all he needed to know about Slade for now. "Second question: What or who are the Shadows?"

"You don't have the League of Shadows in your world?" asked Kid Robin incredulously. "What, did Ra's go soft and—"

"Ra's? Ra's al Ghul?"

"So you do have him!" said Kid Robin. "He's the leader of the League of Shadows."

"In our universe he founded the League of Assassins. I'm guessing the name difference is purely aesthetic."

"Yeah, I'd say so," muttered Green Arrowette.

"Since that's cleared up…" Troubling, now that Robin knew they were involved, but clear. "Question three: What can you tell me about Sportsmaster?"

Batman fielded that question. "The Team encountered Sportsmaster at Bane's Venom factory in Santa Prisca, after it was taken over by the Cult of the Kobra. Sportsmaster supplied them with the Blockbuster formula from Project Cadmus. Mixed with the Venom, it became a powerful substance we call Kobra Venom. We believe a sample escaped with Sportsmaster, because the Team confirmed that vicious animals being sighted in India were exposed to Kobra Venom by the Brain. The operation was shut down, but the Brain escaped."

"That's where we got Wolf," Miss Martian said, pointing at what Robin assumed was the team's pet. Wolf was a lot more ferocious-looking than Silkie, that was for sure.

Robin was having difficulty wrapping his mind around all of this new information. Bane? Kobra? Sportsmaster? The Brain? He exchanged an anxious look with Beast Boy at the mention of the last name.

"I also had a confrontation with Sportsmaster in Taipei," Aqualad informed the Titans. "Red Arrow and I foiled an attempt on Lex Luthor's life, by a League of Shadows assassin and Sportsmaster. The hit was ordered by Ra's al Ghul himself."

Ra's too? And Luthor? This was getting too weird.

"Isn't it strange how all those different parties are connected like that?" Robin asked. "It sounds like there's—"

"Something larger at work," Batman said, making Robin scowl at being interrupted. "And yes, I was getting to that." A picture of an unpleasant-looking group of supervillains filled a screen. "The Injustice League. They attacked several major cities with plant creatures infused with Kobra Venom. They were shortly apprehended and disbanded."

"Thanks to us taking out their control base and softening them up," said Superboy.

Robin gaped at the picture. "Ivy and Joker?" Those two were bad enough, but plus five more high-level villains?

"Based on what you tell us, it seems that while the Injustice League is in custody, their allies still scheme," mused Aqualad.

"If you heard them talking about their plans," Miss Martian said thoughtfully, "then that means they can't have progressed much yet. Maybe—"

"—we could shut them down while their evil plot is still on the drawing board!" Kid Flash finished for her, grinning widely at the alien girl. For some reason Green Arrowette looked at Kid Robin and rolled her eyes.

"Your objective is to free the heroes taken captive," Batman said sternly, making Kid Flash deflate like a punctured balloon. "When the hostages are secure and out of harm's way, call for back-up immediately and the Justice League will do the rest. Understood?"

The team members nodded, and Robin found himself nodding along with them before he stopped and gave himself a mental scolding.

Batman gave them a short, condensed mission briefing. A map of Metropolis expanded in the air, with a cluster of dots concentrated in one corner, on the very outskirts of the city. It zoomed in, giving them an exact location. Just like that. How easy. Clark wasn't totally incorrect, it turned out.

Another thing: the location was completely different from the one the Titans received after hacking the robot. Beast Boy mercifully didn't say "I told you so."

"I've got a plan. We should split up into two groups, and then…" Robin trailed off, noticing that everyone was staring at him strangely. He felt like he had just committed a serious faux pas. "What?" he asked.

"Umm… You're not the leader here…" Miss Martian bit her lip as she said it, looking very embarrassed for him. "Sorry."

"You've never worked with this team before," said Batman, before Robin could argue. "If you want to accompany them, you have to accept that you're not the one giving orders."

Robin muttered under his breath.

"What did you just say?" asked Batman.

"He said he doesn't take orders from you anymore," Superboy said, louder than necessary.

Robin cringed. Super-hearing. Right.

But, why not now? It was going to come out into the open anyway. It wasn't a secret he could keep for long. Part of him thought that they'd figured it out already. Apparently not, judging by the thunderstruck faces all around him.

Except Batman. He'd known all along. Robin could tell.

But the kid didn't. He looked like Robin had just ripped something out of his hands without warning. Kid Robin's masked eyes glanced over at Batman, who looked back impassively. Robin recognized that expression.

It meant mission now; we'll talk about this later. The mission always came first. Like the good soldier he was trained to be, the kid pushed back any distracting feelings until his face was blank and focused, even while his teammates stared at Robin in utter shock, like the idea of any Batman without a Robin was impossible to comprehend.

Aqualad recovered next. The others were almost past the speechless stage, so he held up a hand to stop them from blurting out a tidal wave of Huh?'s and You serious?'s, stepped forward, and told Robin, "You won't have to take orders from Batman. I am the leader of this team. You will be taking orders from me."

Rubbing his neck sheepishly, Beast Boy said, "No offense, I'm sure you're great and all, but Robin knows the most about Slade…"

"We will gladly accept any insight either of you have to give. But I am the one in charge of this team. Now, is there anything more we should know before we leave?"

Robin couldn't prepare them for Slade in such a short time, much less Slade and Rouge. There was too much to go over. So he settled for sorting these heroes into two groups: those who might stand a chance against Slade, and those who might stand a chance against Rouge. The more thought he put into it, the more painfully clear it became that this was a bad idea.

Robin had finished telling Superboy not to fight Slade because the chances of him having Kryptonite on hand were high, and was about to tell Kid Flash not to fight Rouge because she could stretch as fast as he could run, when he stopped. "This is crazy," Robin said. "You guys can't go. It's way too dangerous."

They looked at him with tired eyes that told him they'd had this exact argument earlier and wished that he wouldn't bring it up again.

"If your team was together, would you go?" asked Kid Robin.

"Yes. But that's different."

"Is not."

"Yes, it is."

"Is not."

"Is—" Robin started, and then said, "I'm not falling for that."

"Come on, Robin," Beast Boy implored. "I think they can do it. I mean, Slade knows all our tricks, and he's got to know lots about the Justice League because they're the Justice League, but this team is different. He doesn't know much about them. Maybe he'll be surprised."

"Exactly," said Kid Flash confidently.

"Fine. But you can't go," Robin told his younger self.

"Why not?" the kid asked, offended.

"Well, Robin and Slade kind of have a… special relationship," said Beast Boy.

Silence followed. Robin slapped his own forehead with his palm. The other teens in the room looked confused or downright disturbed.

"Wait, what?" demanded Artemis (Robin was given her name after an embarrassing moment when he told "Green Arrow Girl" that she would be useless against Rouge.), who was a member of the second category.

"Slade is Robin's nemesis," Beast Boy clarified before Robin could throttle him.

Kid Flash clapped the younger Robin on the back. "Dude, Deathstroke is your nemesis!" he told the stunned boy. "That's so—"

"There's more," said Robin. Now or never. The kid needed to know the truth about what he was getting himself into. "I used to work for Slade. As his apprentice." Robin looked straight at Batman and no one else when he said it, challenging the man to react. Batman didn't so much as twitch.

"Only because he was going to kill us if you didn't!" Beast Boy hastily added in Robin's defense.

"Dude, you used to work for Deathstroke!" Kid Flash hissed at his Robin, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a shake for emphasis.

"That's why you should stay behind," Robin said to his counterpart. "Because—"

The kid was quick on the uptake. "You think he wants me as a second apprentice?"

Beast Boy's voice was quiet. "A third."

"Like Robin would ever work for a bad guy," said Artemis disbelievingly. "Our Robin, I mean."

"He wouldn't be given any choice," Robin said through gritted teeth, and turned to the kid in question. "You can't go on this mission. You can't go after him. It'll be the biggest mistake you ever make."

"Who said anything about going after him?" asked Kid Robin, putting up his hands in confusion. "I don't care about your grudge. It has nothing to do with me. I'm going because my team needs me. If there's a security system, they'll need me to hack it. And I owe Raven. She helped me out, and I'm going to return the favor."

Robin rounded on Batman, who didn't seem worried so much as he seemed impatient for Robin to stop objecting. Was he actually so confident in this team that he would let them go in light of all the new information Robin had thrown at them?

"I can't believe you're letting this happen," Robin accused loudly. "You would never…"

Robin was deliberately goading Batman on, he knew it but he couldn't help himself. Batman didn't like being told what to do, and he also didn't like people making assumptions about him. And sure enough…

"What would I never do?" asked Batman, cool towards Robin's impertinence.

Robin couldn't answer. He couldn't even breathe, because the coughing fit he'd tried to suppress with throat-clearings had finally seized control of him and wouldn't let go. Running halfway across Metropolis plus a few big breaths of smoke did not mix well together. He coughed once, and after that it felt like he wouldn't stop until his lungs were in tatters.

Under his mask, his eyes were streaming so much he barely see, but he thought he saw Kid Flash and Miss Martian rush to his side along with Beast Boy.

"Are you okay?" asked one, or maybe all of them. There was a hand patting his back. "Just breathe."

The coughing subsided slightly and Robin managed to spit out one word. "...smoke."

"You smoke?" asked Kid Flash, sounding scandalized. "No wonder you're coughing. Stuff's toxic. I thought you'd be too smart for—"

"No, I think he means the smoke from the explosion," said Beast Boy.

After a few more wheezes, Robin straightened up, his legs feeling shaky. He saw that Batman was looking at him. No, not looking, inspecting in that special way he always did after patrol, when he was checking Robin for injuries.

"You're staying here," Batman decided. "You're not fit for a mission."

"What?" Robin cried in outrage. You can't—" He interrupted himself with a cough. "You can't stop me!"

"I can and will. I'm in control of who leaves Mount Justice."

"If you want out, then you better start digging," advised Superboy.

"Beast Boy," said Batman, turning to the other Titan, "are you feeling dizzy, nauseous, or short of breath?"

"No, sir… I don't think I got as caught in the smoke as Robin… And I, uh, recover kinda fast from things, so… I'm okay… sir."

"Then you can go."

Robin gave another hollow cough. "Without me, you guys can't—" But his protest was weak.

"We're here. We're ready. We're going," Superboy stated gruffly. "There's no time to stand around and argue about it."

"Besides, the Leaguers are either drained or busy with the clean up from their mission earlier today," said Artemis. "Do you want your teammates back or not?"

The question was blunt and callous. And it worked. Robin wanted his teammates—his friends—back more than anything, and East obviously wasn't coming to help. Robin's communicator hadn't so much as beeped.

"It doesn't even matter what I say, does it?" Robin asked hoarsely. He went and grabbed Kid Robin tightly by the upper arms, looking directly into the white lenses of the boy's mask as he tried to convey how serious this was. "Don't fight him or talk to him," he ordered insistently. "Don't even let him see you. And whatever you do, don't go off on your own. Not for a second."

He didn't let go until Kid Robin agreed. Even then the kid had to twist his way free.

"We must go," Aqualad told his team. "If there is anything else we need to know, Beast Boy will have to fill us in on the way. We cannot wait any longer."

"Robin…" began Beast Boy, with apologies written all over his face.

"Go, Beast Boy. I'll be fine."

"We will do everything we can to bring them back safely," Aqualad promised Robin sincerely. Robin nodded in return.

The team plus Beast Boy hurried away, disappearing down a hallway toward the hangar and the 'bio-ship', whatever that was.

"You're making a huge mistake," Robin muttered after them. Deep down, however, he knew that the mistakes were all his own. His mistakes had put the Titans in this mess, and he should be grateful that these heroes were helping, after every time he rebuffed their offers.

When the black gauntlet descended on his shoulder and steered him forcefully out of the room to his appointment with an oxygen mask, Robin wished that he was taking his chances with Slade and a bunch of assassins instead.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

 _—Teen Titans : Speedy—_

 _—Location: Hell. Actual Hell—_

Hell was a tiny, pitch-black cell without the reassuring presences of his bow in his hands and his quiver on his back, while he was handcuffed and suffering from a skull-pounding headache.

Wait, it got worse! He wasn't alone.

If Speedy tucked his legs under him in an awkward, cramp-inducing position so that no part of him made contact with any part of her, he could almost pretend that she wasn't there. The only problem was that she had the nerve to breathe, and talk:

"Captured twice in one week," Jinx said with a sigh. "What a lousy week it's been."

Speedy had to bite his tongue to avoid scathingly pointing out that the first time she was captured was entirely her own fault.

"Question: Why haven't you used your powers to bust us out yet?" asked Speedy, tapping a finger on the cold floor impatiently.

"Question: Where does 'being crushed under several tons of cement and steel' rank on your list of worst possible deaths?" she countered.

Somewhere between hypothermia and falling into a giant vat of acid. But Speedy wasn't going to engage in witty banter with her. Not even sarcastic, semi-dark banter—his personal favourite. No way. So instead he responded with a very bland "Why?"

"Because that's what's going to happen if I try. We're underground, this room's too small, and the walls aren't very stable, judging by some of the cracks I can feel. I'm scared to even try jinxing these handcuffs off. If one of my hexes gets too close to a wall, we're going to be in big trouble."

People with powers could be so useless sometimes. Fine, if she wasn't going to bust them free, he'd do it on his own.

Speedy wasn't super flexible like a certain Boy Wonder, but with much struggling, cursing, scuffling, and nearly wrenching his arms out of their sockets, he managed to slip his handcuffed wrists from behind his back to under his knees, and then around his feet, and then in front of him. The back-to-front handcuff maneuver; one of the most useful skills a hero could have in their arsenal.

And, unlike a certain Boy Wonder, Speedy didn't have magical gloves with magical lock-picks or a magical belt full of magical tools—no, his belt was strictly non-magical and emptied of anything useful—but he did keep a heavy-duty and extremely handy Swiss Army knife in a hidden pocket by his hip. It even had a little flashlight keychain. He was quite satisfied with himself when he managed to fish it out and shone the tiny light around their cell. Grimy, grey, with deeply cracked cement walls. So what if Jinx was right? She was still unhelpful.

There were two air vents, much too small for either of them to fit through. So much for that.

He noticed with annoyance that Jinx's hands were resting on her knees. Why was everyone better at the back-to-front handcuff maneuver than him? He hadn't even heard her move.

Whatever.

After picking the lock on his handcuffs, he unclipped the mini-flashlight and tossed the tool to her so she could undo her own, without bothering to fold the lock pick back in. If she got stabbed in the hand while catching it, it wasn't his problem.

He cast the light over the door, looking for some weakness. There was nothing. No hinges to unscrew on this side, no knob. Nada. Just a plain slab of metal. The flashlight died. Speedy scowled and shook it, flicking the switch back and forth to no avail. Stupid dollar store piece of…

Ugh. There was nothing to do but wait here in the dark. Wait for someone, anyone, to open the door. It couldn't be long until Robin, Raven, or Beast Boy showed up, right?

Speedy flat-out refused to have a clichéd, jail-cell bonding moment with Jinx. If it was Bumblebee, or Aqualad, even Robin, then fine. If he could choose anyone, he would choose Starfire. Partly because she was smoking hot and partly because it would make Robin furious. Nothing Jinx could say would change the fact that he didn't like her. It wasn't the jokey dislike he sometimes played up with the rest of Titans East, especially Bumblebee, the 'ha-ha I'm insulting your cooking but deep down I really do care about you so it's all okay' type of dislike.

Just. Plain. Dislike.

"You won't have to deal with me much longer, Speedy," Jinx informed him, as though sensing his displeasure. Then again, it wasn't like he tried very hard to hide it. "After this mission, I'm quitting the Titans."

Great, she was confiding in him. What did he say about not having a bonding moment? Oh, right, he didn't say anything. He thought it to himself. Nevermind.

"Given your two weeks notice to Robin?" he asked, and then mentally kicked himself. No witty banter. Cut it out, Speedy. It was just so ingrained, especially since it was a villain he was talking to.

"Haven't told him yet. He'll just spend the rest of this mission trying to convince me to stay. And nothing's going to change my mind."

"Sure," said Speedy, unconvinced. This had 'plea for attention' written all over it.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could put up with the sheer amount of drama his current teammates—not Jinx exclusively—radiated. At Titans East, Speedy got to be the tortured soul. But here? These Titans were way out of his league. To compete with their level of angst he would have to do something drastic, like start a forbidden romance or lose a limb.

"I'm serious," Jinx said, annoyed.

"Suuure."

"Okay, I've about had it with you. I've tried not to take it personally since you seem to be rude to everyone, your friends included, but it's obvious that you have a chip on your shoulder when it comes to me. I just want to know why. Why are you such a jerk to me? Is it because, if it weren't for me, then Kid Flash would still be around?"

"Pretty much sums it up," he affirmed.

"I'll give you that," she said detachedly. "I was the one who wanted to go see Coast City so badly, and when we heard Madame Rouge was nearby it was my idea to go after her."

Of course it was her. It was all her. She had wrapped Kid Flash around her little finger. Practically sickening. Always Jinx this, Jinx that. In his whole life, Speedy had never seen a guy that whipped before. And he used to think Ollie had it bad.

"So I don't blame you for blaming me," said Jinx. "I know you two were close. He said you hung out a lot back when you were sidekicks."

Speedy gritted his teeth at the word 'sidekick', but yeah—he knew Kid Flash way back when. One day, totally out of the blue, Kid Flash decided to seek him out and showed up in Star City, blowing Speedy and Green Arrow's cover in the middle of a stake-out in a way only a speedster could. Then, while GA was taking down the big boss, Speedy and Kid pummeled some henchmen together and bonded. Or something. And then they made plans to do it again. Or something.

There weren't a whole lot of young heroes around in those days, so it had been nice to have someone else who knew what it was like. Someone to swap exaggerated battle stories and make fun of villains with—and the Justice League too, they were fair game. And Kid always lent an ear when Speedy needed to vent about Ollie.

"He said he met Robin years ago, too. Before the Titans started. But apparently you didn't know Robin until later?" asked Jinx.

Speedy didn't respond. She was right, though.

The Bat had kept his boy on a short leash, shut away in dark Gotham City. (It was no wonder things ended the way they did between them.) But Kid Flash had never been one to respect boundaries, and he was friendly to a fault. He wanted to be friends with everyone—he just couldn't take a hint—and even those who found him annoying couldn't help liking him a bit.

Robin was no exception, but apparently whenever Kid Flash had ended up in Gotham it wasn't a good time to visit. Always the same excuse, word for word. "Sorry, this isn't a good time." Batman had a strict schedule, and he hated metas in his city, so he would tell Robin to deal with Kid Flash and swoop off to do batty things, leaving Robin behind. Robin didn't like that. He'd give Kid Flash that slightly grumpy excuse and promptly grapple away after his mentor.

The way Kid told it, the final straw for Batman was when Kid stumbled into a Penguin operation while looking for Robin because he really wanted the two of them to hang out. The thought of Robin hanging out always made Speedy want to laugh, because Robin was raised by the Bat and probably only knew how to hang upside-down.

That was before Kid Flash learned how to vibrate his molecules, so when he got taken hostage he stayed that way until he got rescued, classic Dynamic Duo style. The added complication of the captured speedster led to Penguin escaping. Worse, so did Penguin's mystery supplier, who Batman hoped to apprehend after weeks of working on a lead. Due to Kid's interference, Batman had to start again from scratch.

Kid Flash left the place with a fierce lecture from Batman about how "Gotham wasn't Central" and "he was lucky it wasn't the Joker" and "if he caused trouble in the city again they'd arrest him as a public nuisance and make him spend the night in Arkham". (Knowing that was an empty threat wouldn't stop it from being terrifying, especially coming from the Batman.) He also got away with a stolen souvenir in the form of a batarang that he'd promised to show Speedy, until it very mysteriously went missing days later.

(Not long ago, Robin admitted to Speedy that he had been tasked to retrieve it, as a sort of stealth exercise. Batarangs had trackers in them. Who knew?)

"He said he knew you a lot better than he did Robin, though," said Jinx. Was she still talking? "Then again, does anyone really know Robin?"

Speedy remembered when he first met Robin—at that twisted tournament of heroes that went south so fast and became a total suck-fest. Robin had said 'I've heard you're good', and Speedy smiled in return because he'd known exactly who Robin heard it from: the same nosy speedster who told Speedy all about the Boy Wonder.

"You should be mad at me," Jinx told him. "I was the one who got him mixed up with Madame Rouge and got him killed."

Not listening, Speedy thought in sing-song.

"And now we're both stuck in a universe where our dead friend is still alive, but not our friend. Don't be all self-righteous because you think you're his true friend and I was only some girl he was dating. Because he wasn't just my boyfriend, Speedy. He was my best friend. Whether you like it or not, we're in the same boat."

"Quit saying he's dead. You don't know that." The words slipped out before Speedy could stop them. It was getting on his nerves how easily she threw that word around, like she was accepting it already.

"Then, what? He faked his own death? Why? I'm sure he could've found an easier way to break up with me, if that's what he wanted."

"I'm just saying; they never found a body. Weird stuff happens. I mean, we're in a parallel universe. There's a million ways he could still be alive."

"And he hasn't told us he's alive because…?"

"Amnesia," Speedy stated.

"And we haven't seen a new teenage speedster running around because…?"

"Depowered."

"How on earth—?"

"From the trauma. Or maybe there was toxic waste in the water. The chemical scans weren't conclusive. Or maybe he's in some kind of healing coma."

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," was Jinx's opinion.

Tell that to Superman, Speedy wanted to say. But no. No witty banter. "I'm just saying—" he repeated.

"You're deluded," she accused cooly. "It's been months, and they haven't found any trace of him. Face it, he's dead. He's— He's at the bottom of the ocean or something."

"Aqualad searched."

"Everyone searched. And they didn't find anything. He's gone, Speedy. He drowned or got crushed or blown up, or some combination of those. Dead."

"You know what? If you're so insistent on him being dead, then he's dead," Speedy snapped. "Keep telling yourself that if it makes you happy. Do whatever the hell you want, as long as I don't have to hear about it. Now, unless you have a brilliant plan to get us out of here—which I seriously doubt—thenshut up already."

She did. Finally. But not because he told her to.

Someone was on the other side of the door, turning the locks. Speedy felt around in the dark for his handcuffs and put them back around his wrists, unfastened, for an element of surprise. The heavy door swung open slowly, letting faint light spill in, and it turned out that Speedy was the one to be surprised. Yes, he was definitely in hell.

"Hello, lover boy."

oOo

—Black Canary—

—Mount Justice—

Black Canary opened the door to the infirmary and found herself face-to-face with something—someone—she wasn't prepared to see.

Robin. The first young hero, the first protégé to a Leaguer. The boy doted on (but never babied) by the entire Justice League. He got Christmas cards and birthday presents from the most powerful beings on the planet. They watched him grow from an impossibly small boy, to a young teenager and an impressive hero in his own right.

But, not Robin. An older Robin. He could only be a year or so away from dropping the title Boy Wonder. It was jarring, like a fast-forward button had been hit, skipping ahead into the future too soon.

"Going somewhere?" Black Canary asked, shaking off the shock, and Robin frowned back, his hand dropping from the door's command panel on the wall.

They both knew there was no way out of the mountain for him. The zeta tubes and all exits had been locked down, needing JL-level authorization.

It seemed harsh to lock him inside Mount Justice, but it wasn't Black Canary's call. It was Batman's, just like it was on Batman's orders that she was here. Orders were orders, and orders from Batman were law.

"You should be lying down, Robin," she told him.

He stepped aside to let her into the room. "I'm fine," he argued, crossing his arms. "There was hardly any smoke. It was only because I did so much running, and—"

"If you don't want to lie down, then sitting's good, too." She breezed past him and pulled a first-aid kit out of a cupboard. When she glanced over her shoulder, she was pleased to see that he took her recommendation and was sitting on the edge of the cot. "I'm Black Canary."

"I know. We've met." He gazed at the door sullenly. "Where's Batman?"

That question sounded so different from this Robin than from their Robin. Their Robin asked it like he wanted to seek out Batman immediately. This Robin asked it like he wanted to escape in the opposite direction.

"He had to leave the Cave for a while. Bat business," she said with a shrug. Their Robin would have smiled, or at least smirked, at that. "He'll be back eventually."

Black Canary had just finished thawing out from the mission today—she intended that to be her first and last visit to the North Pole—when she was summoned to the Cave. Batman, looking grimmer than usual, had told her about the situation. Robin had apparently caused himself two more coughing fits because he wouldn't stop arguing about how Batman didn't have the right to lock him up like a prisoner, or to keep him from going on the mission, or… cough, cough, cough.

Batman needed her to watch this Robin while he sorted some things out on the Watchtower. Red Tornado was already at their HQ, and Batman considered Black Canary a better choice anyway, because he wanted her to talk to Robin and get him to open up, if she could.

Before Batman had left through the zeta tube, he paused and looked at Black Canary like he wanted to ask her a question. The same question she knew he'd wanted to ask ever since their Robin's therapy session with her, following the training exercise. A question Batman would never ask, because it was a question Black Canary would never give him the answer to. She had promised Robin.

Their Robin trusted her. This Robin… not so much. Black Canary was treading carefully around him, like she was walking on thin ice.

This Robin seemed to be recovering, giving light coughs infrequently. He watched her sorting through adhesive bandages as she looked for the right size to use on his face. "I don't need a bandage," he said. "It's not bleeding." He felt his cheek gingerly with his fingertips, then pulled them away to check.

Tread carefully. "At least let me disinfect it," she tried to compromise.

"Don't bother." Robin's glare was cold. "I can take care of myself."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Watch the attitude. Do you want me to raise my voice?"

The glare broke. "Sorry," Robin apologized. "I just— I should be there!" He slammed a fist into the springy mattress in his frustration at being forced to stay behind.

"You're worried about them," Black Canary observed.

"Of course I am."

"Your team or ours?"

"Both. This— This is all my fault. If only I got there in time… They might not be able to handle Slade, he's—"

"Dangerous," she finished for him, taking his chin in her hand and gently turning his head to get a better look at the swollen gash over his cheekbone. He got punched hard enough to break the skin. Poor kid. He didn't so much as flinch when she dabbed at it with antiseptic, although she knew it must sting badly. "Don't worry, Robin. They'll pull through. Just a few weeks ago they took on a group called the Injustice League, made up of seven of the most dangerous villains there are. And if the Team's in any sort of trouble, all they have to do is call the Justice League, and we'll take it from there."

"They're useful things," Robin said flatly, after a few seconds.

"What are?" she asked as she repacked the first-aid kit.

He shrugged, an action that took a lot of effort for the boy who seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Precautions. Back-up plans," he said. And then, "Safety nets."

"Does that mean your Justice League never helps you out if you need it?"

"We never ask them to."

"Never," she echoed.

"Never," he confirmed.

"All of you Titans, you cut off ties from your mentors?"

"Those of us that had them. After we deal with something big the League usually wants a report, but that's about it," he muttered. "But it depends on the Titan. Some of them still have pretty good relationships with their mentors, I guess."

"You're not one of them," Black Canary said, and he neither agreed nor denied. He couldn't meet her eyes, even with the mask. "What about Speedy?" she asked. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't he be?"

"Ours had a falling-out with Green Arrow. Things are a bit better than they've been, but…"

"I think they get along," Robin said. "I've heard he visits Green Arrow now and then. I don't really know what happened; we didn't meet until after the Titans formed. He had his own friends."

"And who did you have?" she asked, to no reply. "Robin?" she prodded, but he still didn't respond, his head hanging. "Robin, what happened?"

His hands were curled tight around the edge of the bedframe. "I don't want to talk about it," he said in a steely tone. "It's personal, okay? I'm not going to tell you."

Except I think you already have, she wanted to say, remembering a small boy hunched in a chair and pouring out his heart to her.

"Here." Black Canary picked up the bundle of clothes she'd brought in with her and left on the table, and handed them to him. "I hope you don't mind advertising the Flash, because I think Kid Flash is closest to your size, and these are the only clean clothes I could find in his room here. Go get yourself cleaned up."

"What? Why?"

"Frankly, you smell like you got caught in an explosion."

"I did."

"I know," she replied with mild exasperation. "Go take a shower, put on some clean clothes. You'll feel better. I can show you where to find the bathrooms…" She noticed the anxious expression on his face. "What's the matter?"

"I don't like wearing civilian clothes." Robin was holding the lightning-bolt covered clothes like they were something alien to him.

"Oh. Well, I'm pretty sure none of our Robin's spare uniforms would fit you…" She leaned back against the table and thought over this new dilemma, looking up at the ceiling like it would drop down a solution. A moment's contemplation later, she smiled and said, "Tell you what. There's a locker room down the hall; it has showers and laundry machines, so you can put your uniform in for a quick cycle. Meet me back here when you're done, okay?"

At the door, he stopped and turned around. "Thanks," he told her awkwardly, and left before she could say anything back.

Three minutes later, Black Canary realized that this was a Robin she was dealing with.

She found him in the hangar, hot-wiring one of the motorcycles while Superboy's Sphere beeped at him and rolled around agitatedly. She wasn't sure what Robin expected to accomplish with that, since there was no way out.

Had he been playing her this entire time, thinking that his slight recovery and Batman's absence would make it easy to sneak out once her back was turned? Not gonna happen. Not on her watch.

No more nice Canary. She dragged him by the cape to the locker room with threats of taking his utility belt, and he seemed like he wanted to argue but they both knew who would win in a shouting match.

She stood sentry outside the door, hearing the sound of water running. Some time passed, and she felt unsettled without knowing why. Surely he couldn't have gotten out? This door was the only exit.

…Except for the air vents…

Cursing Batman and the ridiculous skills he taught his protégé—and that he stuck her as Robin's jailer—she stalked away to search for Robin, again. Fool her twice…

She found him in the mission room. He was pushing his wet hair out of his eyes as he tried to hack into the computer to allow himself access to the zeta tube. The override was giving him difficulty, which surprised her. That misdemeanor cost Robin a visit to the infirmary, where Black Canary demanded that he let her put a bandage on his face (unless he wanted her to call Batman back early and make him do it?).

The arguing began. He was fine! He was! He could handle the mission! She had the power to open the zeta tubes; she could let him go! She needed to let him go! And then he'd stop to nearly hack up a lung, and afterwards start arguing all over again.

He was stubborn. He was borderline self-destructive. He was determined to work himself to death. He was…

Oh, god. He was Batman.

They were back in the mission room, because Robin refused to stay in the infirmary another minute and the mission room was as close as he was going to get to the actual mission—probably why he insisted on it.

Ignoring Black Canary, Robin instead focused on a bright yellow communicator in his hands, fiddling with it and trying out different frequencies. When she asked him who he was trying to call, all he said was, "East."

"Is it that hard to hand over control, even for just a little while?" Black Canary asked, when he scowled at the unresponsive electronic for the tenth time.

Robin looked at her like that was a criminally stupid question. "I'm the leader. I'm supposed to keep everything under control. Otherwise people get hurt."

"You can't do everything, Robin. No one can."

"No, but I could have done this!" He threw out an arm toward the zeta tube, his symbol of freedom. "I could have gone after Slade with them and helped save my friends, like I'm supposed to!" He was close to shouting. "I'm so sick of adults telling me what I can and can't do, and acting like they know what's best for me. I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

"And you decide to do what's best for others, not yourself. That's incredible, but it takes its toll. It may not seem like it sometimes, but they're trying to help you—like we're trying to help you—because they care about you."

"No offense, Black Canary, but you're dead wrong. Slade liked to order me around, and it sure wasn't because he cared." Taking a deep breath, he said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she answered encouragingly.

"I know Batman's making you watch me and stop me from leaving. And I know you're getting me to talk so that you can report back to him everything I've said." Black Canary opened her mouth to object, but Robin met her with a sharp look. "Please don't lie and deny it. All I want to know is: what are you going to tell him, exactly?"

"As long as you don't confide in me some secret plan to wipe out the Justice League, I don't have to tell him anything," Black Canary said. "It's the truth," she added, when he tested her with that Batman lie-detector gaze. Apparently she passed, because he didn't give her the Bat-glare that came with a fail. "Can I ask you something? What was it like working for him? Slade, I mean."

Robin gave her a long stare, and his silence made her feel like she overstepped some boundary. "It was bad," he said finally. By the pause that followed, she thought he was going to leave it at that, but he spoke again. "He made me steal for him, and wear his colours. If I didn't do what he said, he threatened my friends' lives. I was completely at his mercy—what little there was—because they were at his mercy, too. If I disobeyed, got him mad, then all he had to do was press the button, and…"

"So it was blackmail," she said thoughtfully. "That does sound bad."

"Looking back, I kind of got off easy. It could have been worse. I wasn't his apprentice very long, and he never laid a hand on me outside of training, unless I attacked first. The worst part was that I never knew what he was going to make me do next. I didn't know how far I would have to go to protect them." Robin wasn't even looking at her as he spoke anymore, like he was too frightened of the pity he might find in her eyes. "It was like… he took everything I worked hard to be, and twisted it into something wrong. It was like I went from a hero to a tool of crime. It was like…" He trailed off again.

"Like being a victim?"

"Working for him was bad," Robin concluded firmly, looking a little embarrassed for saying so much. "Can we talk about something else?"

They fell into a game of asking each other questions, back and forth. His answers were vague or yes/no, with little elaboration, and Black Canary soon learned which topics were off-limits when he would keep his mouth clamped shut and refuse to respond. Most things to do with criminals and his mission were okay, but if she asked specific questions about his team or his Justice League she tended to get resolute silence.

She didn't try asking about his Batman.

Every so often Robin would run a hand through his hair, tousling it to make it dry a certain way, and Black Canary tried not to laugh because it was such a refreshingly teenage action. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

At one point Robin asked her how many members there were in her Justice League, and when she told him his eyes widened in shock. "Only that many? No reserve members?"

"No, no reserves. Why? How many are in yours?" she asked, slightly perturbed at his reaction.

"More. A lot more. Your League has about the same amount of members as the Teen Titans, and we're just a fraction of the size of our League." This new information seemed to distress him, and she let him silently mull it over. "Can I use the computer?" he asked a minute or so later, and she could tell that he'd been meaning to ask it for a while now but was too worried she'd say no after his earlier transgression.

"Just be patient," Black Canary told him. "Checking up on the Team will only distract—"

"Not for that. I wanted to look at your files on Sl— Deathstroke."

She sized him up, wondering if this was a ruse so he could try to hack the zeta tubes again. But, she'd be right here watching. "All right, I don't see anything wrong with that."

To be on the safe side, she activated the computer for him and found the relevant files so that he wouldn't go meddling in the computer's documents.

"Batman pulled up a list of his last appearances," said Robin. He got the hang of the holographic computer quickly, and was frowning at an angry red screen that kept popping up in front of him. "I can't access it."

"It contains sensitive Justice League information. Needs authorization." She cleared her throat. "Black Canary, one-three. Level two file access." More holographic screens expanded at that command. "Keep in mind that he's a hard man to follow. The records contain a lot of gaps."

"He— He went missing in your world at the same time our Slade died," Robin muttered, almost to himself, as he scrolled down the list. "The same time-frame…"

"He died?" Black Canary blinked in surprise. "But, how is he—?"

"He was brought back to life soon after. It's complicated."

"Do you think a similar chain of events happened, killing Deathstroke, but without the resurrection?"

Robin shook his head. "No. That's impossible. The way he died… the events leading up to it… I doubt it happened in this world." He double-checked the Deathstroke files, and shook his head again. "I think it has to do with how he was resurrected. It was done by an inter dimensional demon."

If those words came from the mouth of their Robin, infamous prankster, Black Canary would've been calling BS, but this Robin was dead serious.

"Yes, that's much less impossible," she said under her breath.

"I'll ask Raven when she gets here," Robin said. "She'll be able to tell me more. She's the expert in this kind of stuff."

The voice of the computer spoke up just then, announcing arrivals through the zeta tube, and they both perked up and listened anxiously.

"Recognized; Batman, zero-two. Martian Manhunter, zero-seven."

Robin bristled at the second name, like a cornered animal having its fight-or-flight instinct kick in. "No," he said when the two League members stepped into the room. "No." His voice was rising. "You can't! You can't read my mind, J'onn!"

"You know why he has to, Robin," said Batman. There was no room for arguments in his tone. "We—" He gestured at his fellow Justice League members. "—need to talk alone. Wait for us in the meeting room. Fourth door on the right."

Robin didn't move. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Please, Robin?" asked Black Canary. "This situation is weird for us, too. Give us a couple of minutes to talk, and then we'll meet you in the room down the hall, okay?"

Robin crossed his arms and trudged out of the room. If he was trying to not look like a sulky kid, then he was failing spectacularly.

"This is a bad idea," Black Canary told her fellow Leaguers, putting her hands on her hips. "You saw how angry he was." And Robin wasn't the only angry one. After all the time she'd spent trying to gain Robin's trust, these two came in and heedlessly trampled it flat into the floor.

"It's necessary," Batman defended. "We need to know that he's telling the truth. We need to know that he's not a threat."

"He's scared of us. Terrified. And reading his mind against his will isn't going to help."

"We haven't done anything to him. Why is he scared?" asked Batman, like it was a question whose answer had evaded him for days.

"Are you saying he does not frighten you?" asked J'onn knowingly.

All Batman said was, "Robin wants to talk to him." It was impossible to distinguish whether Batman was avoiding the topic or if he was cutting to the chase.

"And you're worried about what he'll tell him?" Black Canary asked. "I don't think he wants to talk to our Robin, at all."

"Robin won't take no for an answer," Batman said in clipped tones. "What did you find out?"

"Not much," said Black Canary. "It's strange. He's like Robin… but at the same time he's nothing like him. If anything, he reminds me of you, Batman." She looked him directly in the eyes of his cowl, and couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice. "He's exactly like you."

Batman was silent for a moment, staring down the corridor Robin took. "I knew something was wrong from the first time I laid eyes on him."

"Maybe you should have let him go with the Team on the mission," Black Canary said. "He's so insistent about it, and worried. It's making me worried, too. I know the Team was set on tackling this one, but it's not too late to jump in after them."

"I never would have agreed to the formation of the Team if I didn't believe that they could handle dangerous situations on their own," said Batman. "And the last thing we need is another group of young heroes rebelling against us."

"I'm concerned about Slade, and you should be too. He's not just another criminal. He has history with Robin, and if he targets ours because of it…"

"He won't," said Batman with savage certainty. "The second the hostages are secured, I'm going after Slade myself."

For a split second Black Canary saw the nightmarish, glowering symbol of fear that could make the worst kinds of scum in Gotham beg for mercy or flee in terror. And she knew that there was nothing on Earth that could save that man from the Bat.

Robin wasn't in the meeting room when they entered, and Black Canary had to ask herself why the heck she was surprised about that.

Sighing tiredly, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not again. He's going to kill himself if he keeps up like this." She turned to the telepath among them. "Do you know where he is?"

"He's in the mountain, but other than that…" Martian Manhunter let his glowing eyes fade. "He is rather adept at shielding his mind. However, I can hear frustrated thoughts nearby."

"I'll find him," said Batman, and he strode away.

He returned shortly, walking behind Robin with one hand on his alternate-dimensional ward's shoulder and the other holding Robin's confiscated utility belt. There was a slash on the arm of Batman's uniform, through the first layer of dark kevlar. Black Canary and Martian Manhunter exchanged a glance, but neither asked.

Whatever Batman had said to Robin when the two were alone made the teen sullen and silent. He kept his eyes trained on his feet, refusing to look at any of them, until he was seated in a chair in the meeting room. Raising his head, the defiant line of his mouth seemed at odds with what came out of it: an apology, albeit a rather angry one.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry about all of this. If I had a choice I wouldn't even be in this world," he said. "Just don't go in my head. You can't go in my head. There are personal things that you can't know. I— I don't want to screw everything up." He was looking at Batman when he said it. "You know what I'm talking about."

"There will be no need to delve so far into your mind," said Martian Manhunter. "It would be very rude to do so."

"Your daughter, or whoever she is, didn't seem to have any worries about invading my thoughts," said Robin, eyeing him skeptically.

"M'gann is my niece," J'onn informed him. "At the time she was not aware of who you truly were. You must keep in mind that, while my niece is very capable, she does not have the same level of control as I do. Control comes with many years of training. If you cooperate and focus on who you are, where you come from, and your intentions, I will be able to verify if you are telling the truth without prying into your personal thoughts."

"J'onn. Promise me you won't go deep into my mind."

"I swear it," the Martian said solemnly, and Robin seemed to hold onto his word like a lifeline.

Robin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I have one condition: my belt. Give it back."

Batman did, and as soon as it was back around Robin's waist he calmed down visibly. The only sign of his anxiety was how his hands were gripping the armrests of the chair for dear life, not letting go until long after Martian Manhunter's stopped glowing.

"He is who he claims to be," said Martian Manhunter. "He's telling the truth about his mission, and that he comes from another universe. He means us no harm."

Batman grunted. He wasn't one hundred percent convinced. His guard was still up; a barrier of wariness that made him keep his distance from the boy. But he seemed satisfied for now.

He turned to Robin. "I don't know how it is with your team," he said, "but our Robin hasn't confided his secret identity in his teammates. As long as you're here, I'm going to ask you to—"

Robin looked back at him stonily. "Don't worry about it. I won't tell."

"Does your team know?"

"Some of them. Maybe. It doesn't matter. They know better than to let it slip."

"Which ones?"

"None of your business," Robin retorted. "If I told them, then it's because I trust them to keep it a secret."

"Raven does," Batman said without any hesitation. "And who else? Speedy? Beast Boy?"

Robin stood abruptly. "I'm going to Metropolis."

"I think you've done enough for today," said Batman, not unkindly. "You'd be no good to them in this condition."

"But I'm better now. I'm fine!" Robin insisted loudly.

And he started coughing, again.

oOo

—Teen Titans : Raven—

—Location : ?—

A circle of runes was keeping Raven penned, because locks and doors never could. The room was blank and featureless, dimly-lit, and she wasn't alone. She tried to meditate in a vain hope that she would be able to channel enough power to break free of the circle, but her powers were lost to her—constrained by the circle, like she was bound by a straitjacket.

Some of the runes she recognized from her many books, and some because they had been emblazoned on her skin like fire, foretelling the fate she'd thought was inevitable.

The symbols spoke of dangerous magic. The slightest error could lead to catastrophe. It could be physical damage, leveling everything in a wide radius. Or it could be inter-dimensional, ringing through universes, tearing delicate boundaries, and sending balances askew.

These were forces that shouldn't be meddled with carelessly. Not that Slade could ever be described as careless. Several of the harshest words in the dictionary could be applied to him, but not 'careless'.

The chances of this spell going right were… Well, Raven's specialty was magic, not statistics. She knew that it would be a small number over a very, very, very large number.

"You drew that rune wrong," she told him, self-hatred boiling throughout her entire body for helping him as she pointed. If he did the spell with that error in place, the walls of the dimension could collapse. That wasn't an exaggeration.

Slade fixed it perfectly without further prompt, and she wondered whether he drew it wrong on purpose just to see if she'd say anything. Sick.

"Where are the others?" Raven demanded. She could sense Speedy and Jinx nearby, but no Robin and Beast Boy, giving her hope that the last two were on their way to help. "What are you going to do with them?"

"Your captured teammates?" Slade asked as he straightened and examined his handiwork. "I have no plans for them. Truthfully, I have no idea what's to become of them. Nor do I care."

The seething rage she felt at his disregard for her friends' lives nearly made her shake, and it took a huge amount to self-control to compose herself. He was trying to make her angry. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction, so instead she calmly organized the facts of her situation.

Cold, hard facts: Slade was working with others. He'd hit Raven with some kind of energy blast that she hadn't seen—a new weapon?—and when she woke up she was here. Slade was preparing a spell that was almost ready.

She couldn't expect help to come in time. That was a fact.

"Out of all the countless worlds that exist…" Raven said, watching him walk around the perimeter of the circle, double-checking. "Why this one?"

That awful eye seemed to glint. "Have you ever died, Raven?" Slade asked conversationally.

"What's the point of asking questions you already know the answer to?"

"What you went through to become the portal wasn't death, dear girl... I wonder if you are even human enough to truly die." He paused for a moment and observed her, making her fearful that he would decide to test out that theory. He continued, "I, on the other hand, have experienced real death. I won't frighten you with the details. Suffice to say that they under-exaggerate when they say your life flashes before your eyes."

"You don't mean…"

"More than my life, Raven. All my lives. I saw an infinite amount of alternate existences for myself. And although many of them have faded from my memory since I returned to humanity, one made a lasting impression."

"This one. That's how you knew about this world." Raven had noticed it since she awoke, but hadn't been able to place it because it was so strange, even to her. There was something wrong with Slade. Like a taint, a presence lurking under his skin. Not natural. Not stable.

She should have seen it coming. Surely one didn't die and come back to life without there being side-effects of some kind?

Slade had taken out a piece of chalk and was kneeling on the floor, drawing more runes, more symbols, more lines. A second circle. All done without any sort of reference. He had done his research.

"With you Titans and the Justice League," he said as he worked, "it's become increasingly difficult to accomplish anything in your world. Alliances would need to be forged to succeed. Power would have to be shared."

"The Brotherhood—" Raven reminded him, before she was cut off.

"Was pathetic. The plans being made here are of a magnitude you cannot imagine, and the Justice League of this universe are novices." He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. She glared back at what she assumed was a smirk. "They won't be able to stop it from happening, and neither will you."

"Stop what?"

"I can't give away all my plans, Raven," he replied smugly. "I must give Robin a chance to figure it out for himself. The boy needs something to keep him occupied—he has far too much energy for his own good. Energy that I could put to good work."

 _Don't you dare mention Robin_ , thought Raven. After everything Slade had put Robin through, he didn't have the right to speak about him. But Raven was getting angry again, so she took a deep breath and changed the subject.

"Why would anyone let you in on their plans?" Raven all but snarled. "You can't be trusted."

"My reputation here speaks for itself. Trust doesn't matter, simply results. With my help, my ideas, my allies will soon be rid of a certain problem that has been plaguing them. A thorn in their side, so to speak."

"I thought you'd be done with working under someone else, after what happened," Raven reminded him harshly.

He was unfazed, and his hand remained steady as he sketched the runes. "Temporary employment, child. This time I'm not allying myself with an all-powerful demon. If they go back on their word it will be a simple matter to make them pay. Soon I will be back in our world, with enough power and resources to fell both you and the Justice League with ease."

"And how do you intend to get back there? Going to build another portal? We'll find it and destroy it before you can—"

"No," said Slade, with his back to her. "I have a much more reliable method in mind. That's why you're here. I would have done this from the outset, but you were too heavily protected by your friends. Since you're here, I might as well take advantage of this opportunity." He tossed the chalk aside and reached into a pouch on his belt. "Technology, magic… I'm not particular, I've dabbled in both."

A sharply-cut crystal—small, clear, and flawless—was placed in the second circle. Raven had used similar ones in many spells, but despite its familiarity it gave her a very bad feeling.

"You've been used as a portal once," Slade said, turning to face Raven. "I have confidence that you'll succeed a second time."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

 _—Teen Titans : Beast Boy—_

 _—Bio-Ship… thing?—_

Beast Boy felt sorry for Robin because he got left behind, but he also felt sorry for himself. Because he was stuck in a strange, living airplane with a bunch of strangers. Well, some strangers and some kind-of strangers.

He considered himself pretty good at making new friends. He tried his best to be friendly. But in these circumstances chatting might not be a good idea, since he was also pretty good at blabbing secrets and putting his foot in his mouth.

In his world, in the past, he and Kid Flash had gotten along well the few times they'd hung out. Beast Boy thought that the two of them could've been really good friends some day, until bad things happened and that thought got filed away as a regret. Now Kid Flash was right here, which was weird and saddening, except it wasn't him. It wasn't. But it was. It didn't matter anyways—Beast Boy couldn't really talk to him because of a big reason. One of the big reasons they worked so hard to stay off the Justice League's radar.

We don't want to tell them anything about our dimension, if we can help it, Robin and Raven always said. We don't want to interfere, if we can help it. This inter-dimensional stuff was touchy, apparently. Or maybe they were just too scared to see the expressions on these heroes' faces when they found out what happened. Since there was no Robin or Raven here to warn Beast Boy when to keep his mouth shut, he figured the safest thing to do was keep his mouth shut the entire time, if possible.

But… there was one question Beast Boy had to ask. He was dying of curiosity, so he waved a hand awkwardly to gain Superboy's attention.

"Are you like, a cousin of Superman's, or…?"

"Clone," Superboy grunted.

"Oh. That's awesome!"

Robin—the young Robin—looked over his shoulder at Beast Boy, and asked, "Why was 'cousin' your first guess?"

Uh-oh, he was giving Beast Boy that suspicious appraisal that must be standard to every Robin, and Beast Boy was reminded for the billionth time that some things were different in this universe. Foot, meet mouth. Beast Boy shrugged and mustered the most innocent expression he could.

"Umm… I 'unno. Just because." Hastily, Beast Boy turned to Superboy again. "If you're his clone, then that means you're exactly like him, right? You're invincible and can fly and—"

"Can't fly," said Superboy. "No heat vision."

If Beast Boy knew how to take a hint, he might have realized from Superboy's scowling that this was a sore subject, and stop pressing it. But he didn't. "What about ice breath?" he asked.

"Superman doesn't have ice breath," Superboy said. "He doesn't." But he seemed unsure, and looked to his teammates for confirmation.

"Yeah, he totally does," Beast Boy insisted. "Ice breath, and super breath that can blow out a whole forest fire at once!"

"Now you're just making stuff up," Kid Flash accused.

Beast Boy thought he might have a panic attack right then because Kid Flash was talking and he really didn't know how to respond. It was like the Terra thing but ten times more complicated. He could've used a paper bag to breathe into.

After a while he realized that they were talking about strategies and mission plans, and were looking at him as they waited for an answer to a question he'd missed.

He blinked in alarm at all the faces turned to him. "Huh?"

"We asked if you had any suggestions," Aqualad told him patiently.

"Can't we just bust some walls down, bust them free, and then bust our way out again?" Beast Boy asked.

"No, that's not how we do things…" said Kid Flash. He leaned back in his seat and swung his legs up to rest his feet on another chair. "I mean, it's not how we're supposed to do things but somehow we always end up at the busting stage."

"We're a covert team," Robin Jr explained. "We try to be a little more subtle."

"Emphasis on the 'try'," added Artemis, knocking Kid Flash's feet off of her armrest with her elbow.

Miss Martian noticed the perplexed expression on Beast Boy's face. "Your team doesn't do many covert missions?" she guessed.

"Not really…" said Beast Boy. "We don't even know the meaning of the word covert. Well, I don't. Seriously, what does it mean?"

Beast Boy was given a definition by Superboy that sounded like it was recited straight from a dictionary, but he was too nervous to learn new vocabulary. All he remembered was that it had to do with being quiet, which suited him. Being quiet meant not talking which meant less chances for his big mouth to get him into trouble.

"We're almost at our destination," announced Miss Martian as the ship slowed and listed to the right.

"Before we arrive," Aqualad said to Beast Boy, "is there anything else we should know?"

Gulping (because yes there is something I should tell you since we might end up fighting Madame Rouge and I shouldn't keep this a secret but…), Beast Boy kept his guilty eyes downcast and said, "I don't think so… Robin covered most of it. If there was something really important, that he thought you needed to know, he would've told you."

That was true, right? If Robin didn't tell them something that critical, it had to be for an even more critical reason, right? It couldn't have simply slipped Robin's mind, and Robin would never hoist the responsibility of breaking such weighty news on Beast Boy. So Beast Boy shouldn't tell them either, right?

Then again, Robin's judgement calls had been shaky lately… But this didn't have anything to do with Batman. It was totally neutral territory. No old emotions causing bias. Okay, maybe that last part was a lie. A huge lie that applied to all of the Titans, not just Robin.

"What's up with him?" Kid Flash blurted out suddenly. "Like, who does he think he is, telling us what we can and can't do? He doesn't know anything about us!"

"Did he actually quit working with Batman?" asked Artemis. "Why?"

Those were questions that Beast Boy wouldn't have been able to answer even if he were allowed to, so he hemmed and hawed until he was saved by Robin Jr.

Robin Jr pressed a button on his glove to shut down the glow-y, semi-transparent computer screen he'd been reading off of (which Beast Boy thought was the coolest thing ever), and frowned at his teammates. "Guys, it doesn't matter," Robin Jr said crisply. "We have a mission to focus on. People are counting on us."

Nodding in approval at Robin Jr's serious attitude, Aqualad addressed Beast Boy again, "If you remember any useful information or have any advice as we go, please do not hesitate to share."

"Our Robin's not so bad," said Beast Boy off-handedly after a few moments, because it was unfair how they had judged his friend when they'd only seen Robin in Scary Robin-mode. They had never played volleyball against Robin or seen him sing karaoke. They didn't know him. "He's just crazy stressed out because of Slade, and this mission, and Batman, and Star—" Beast Boy fake-coughed and changed it to, "…and everything…"

Beast Boy wondered if he could stop putting his foot in his mouth by spending the rest of this mission as an animal without feet, like a snake. Or an animal without feet or a mouth, like a sea sponge.

oOo

—The Team : Kid Flash—

—Metropolis—

It had begun to rain—a steady downfall of fat raindrops that, to Kid Flash, fell unhurriedly through the air like snowflakes. Everybody was soaking wet within a matter of seconds. Wolf was giving off the distinctive, overpowering scent of wet dog, so strong that Kid Flash wanted to clamp his hand over his nose to block out the smell, but he didn't because Artemis would undoubtedly call him a wuss. Was no one else concerned that Wolf would give away their position by stench alone? Like, c'mon, people!

They were huddled by a ratty wire fence, hidden in some bushes outside some kind of compound with several blocky buildings. It didn't scream 'secret lair' as much as it screamed 'factory hit hard by the recession'.

"Careful," Robin warned them, his face tinted hologram-blue. "The fence has sensors."

"Can you hack them?" asked Aqualad.

"Of course I can, but it'll take time and there's no point. Don't touch it and we'll be fine."

Kid Flash's stomach rumbled. This mission was earlier in the day than the Team was used to. It was only dinner-time, but so dark from the thick, swirling clouds blotting out the setting sun that it felt like night.

Robin scanned through records, conjuring blueprints out of nowhere (the Team stopped questioning the legality of his information-gathering long ago), and discovered that the buildings were connected underground. Superboy checked their surroundings with infrared vision, and detected non-human heat signatures beyond the fence. Kid Flash double-checked with his goggles and found the same thing. Robots, they all decided.

"I'm not sensing minds, so they must be robots," Megan confirmed. Her hood was up because of the rain. She was really hot when she used telepathy, Kid Flash noticed. "But there's four people in there…" She pointed at a short building. She was really hot when she pointed at things. "… and two in there."She pointed at the largest one. "There are also six people on the far end of the property. We can't see them from here. Should I check it out in camouflage mode?"

Unfortunately, Megan wasn't hot while she was in camouflage mode, because she was invisible. Kid Flash lamented this silently while she was gone, barely paying attention to the information she was reporting back.

"Two trucks, a stealth helicopter, and six guards. Are you sure that was all?" Aqualad asked when Megan returned. She nodded as she floated down to ground level.

"But Slade never has people working for him; only robots," Beast Boy said. "Not counting apprentices."

"Yeah, but the Shadows employ humans," said Kid Flash, because it'd been a while since he'd contributed. His goal was to be more useful than Artemis each mission. "You said they were interested in Speedy… and why wouldn't they be? He is a former partner to a Leaguer." They all knew that Roy—any Roy—would make a valuable hostage. "They must be here to take him and the others to one of their own bases."

"And we're not just going to let them do that, are we?" asked Artemis, twanging her bowstring in anticipation.

"No, we are not," Aqualad agreed. "If we destroy their transportation, they will not be able to escape. But we cannot move until Robin hacks their security cameras." He looked down at their resident hacker.

"There are no cameras," Robin informed him. "The robots are the cameras. Slade's cameras and guards, rolled into one. There are sensors by the entrances too, though. I can hack a loop into the robots with the frequency my computer picked up when we fought them last night, but the sensors will be trickier and with them in place we can't go indoors without causing a huge commotion."

"Is it a good idea to hack the Slade-bots?" asked Beast Boy. "We tried that, and—"

"This is different. You tried to extract data from one. You plugged it into your computer like it was an mp3 player. That's just inviting disaster."

"Hey!" Beast Boy protested. "We didn't know that would happen! Cyborg's firewalls and security are awesome. It's almost impossible to get past our systems… Except that Slade's done it a few times. And so have Ding Dong Daddy, Mad Mod, and Control Freak… But besides that, it's impossible." He crossed his arms and added petulantly, "Also, our Robin didn't use the mp3 cable. It was a different one."

Nobody could think of a reply to that (the best Kid Flash could come up with was 'You have an enemy named Ding Dong Daddy?' but he didn't actually ask it) so it was a relief when Robin spoke up again.

"The sensors must relay directly to the robots," Robin mused. "Which means…" He fiddled with his glove and extracted a small device that looked like an electronic tracker, which he handed to Megan. "If you plant this on one of the robots, it'll give me the signal frequency the sensors are sending to them, so I can counter and scramble it."

"Me?" asked Megan, taking the device and looking at it curiously.

"It has to be you. The robots might not be able to see us anymore, but they can still feel—well, detect contact—so you need to use your telekinesis to attach it very carefully, with as little impact as, say, a raindrop." He held out a hand to show how the raindrops pelted his palm.

"How long will it take you to complete?" Aqualad asked Robin.

"Not too long. But I'll need to concentrate and stay put while I'm working on it."

"We will go ahead with Miss Martian to subdue the Shadows agents, and you can regroup with us when you are finished," Aqualad said, and then hesitated. If this were any other mission, he wouldn't have. "I believe it would be best if one of us—"

"I'll stay and keep an eye on things over here," Kid Flash offered immediately.

With promises to return as soon as possible and to remain in telepathic contact, the other team members plus Beast Boy jumped, flew, or were levitated over the fence and disappeared into the rain.

The wind was picking up with the brewing storm, whipping around the branches of the overgrown bushes they were hiding in. Kid Flash was slapped across the face with a wet, leafy branch and spluttered as he brushed it aside.

"Is this poison ivy?" he asked, warily examining the pointy-tipped leaves.

"No, she's still in Arkham," Robin deadpanned without looking away from his computer screen. A typical joke, but without his typical cheekiness.

"Ha," Kid Flash huffed sarcastically. A couple of seconds later, to show just how un-funny he found that joke, he added another bland, "Ha."

"You didn't need to stay behind." Robin was tapping away at the small floating keyboard in preparation while he waited for the go-ahead from Megan. "I wasn't going to run off alone. I would have been safe here by myself for a few minutes."

"No, dude, I kinda did have to stay behind so that if Slade shows up wanting to turn you to the dark side, I can grab you and rush you away before he bird-naps you."

Robin made a mock-annoyed 'really?' face at Kid Flash, which Kid Flash countered with a smug 'I'm serious I'll totally do it' face. That exchange evolved into one of their (strangely frequent) face-pulling wars, where they competed to see who could contort their features more ridiculously. They tended to get bored with the contest long before they decided on a clear winner, and this time was no exception.

"Listen, that whole deal with their Robin and Batman…" Kid Flash began, remembering Robin's words on the bio-ship. He looked at his friend with serious green eyes. "You can't tell me it doesn't matter."

"KF. Mission," Robin hissed back. Sure, now he got all snippy, but earlier he was okay with making bad jokes and scary faces? Someone was desperate to avoid the subject. And here Wally had thought of himself as the master of denial.

"We've got a minute before Megan sets up the robot." He prodded Robin in the shoulder encouragingly. "C'mon, it's not healthy to keep it bottled up. You'll end up like Bats. Just tell me about it quick." Kid Flash was all ears—was always all ears for Robin, his best friend—and he knew Robin knew that.

Robin's fingers ceased their typing. He stopped working; stopped the act of being focused and fine, and just sat there, crouched on his heels, with his arms resting over his knees. Quiet, still, and soaked to the bone from the cold rain. He looked utterly miserable.

"What bugs me the most," Robin said quietly, "is that I should have known right away. Maybe I didn't want to admit it. It all makes so much sense now, though; why they didn't want to deal with our Justice League. Before I wrote it off as them being worried how the League would react. I know what Batman can be like. I'd be nervous about revealing myself out of the blue to a parallel version of him." He paused, frowning down at his hands. "But it's more than that. You saw him, KF—he could barely stand to be in the same room as Batman."

"What do you think happened, to drive them apart like that?" asked Kid Flash. He was picturing a scene like the one at the Hall of Justice, except with Robin instead of Sp— Red Arrow. And since Robin didn't have a hat to toss, he threw down his mask and cape before storming off.

"I'm not sure if I want to find out," Robin mumbled, and then he was back to business. "Miss Martian, report."

"I think I did it right. Give it a try!"

Wally watched as Dick dove into his coding and computer-hacking, where things probably made a lot more sense to him.

oOo

—Teen Titans : Beast Boy—

Just go with the flow, thought Beast Boy. He was just going with the flow, following this team and their plans and hoping they would lead him to his friends. These heroes seemed to know what they were doing. They were organized and taking their jobs seriously (which was more than could be said about the Titans sometimes). (Okay, he was the one to blame for that most often.)

But Beast Boy was getting fidgety, wanting to smash some walls down and find Raven. He was freaked out because Raven could do anything, but she hadn't freed herself yet. Something bad must've happened. Something really bad.

It was so hard to wait for these heroes to disable the security and be all covert, but he didn't have a choice because he couldn't do any rescuing by himself. He needed them.

Just go with the flow, he told himself. Just go with the—

"Sorry?" asked the politely bemused voice of Miss Martian in his head, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin. She was just rejoining their group after her errand for Robin Jr. "Did you say something, Beast Boy?"

"No!" he thought back frantically. "I was just thinking." The psychic talking made him nervous. It took some getting used to. Keeping his mouth shut was one thing, but keeping his brain shut? He worried about how much they'd heard.

They continued sneaking between the buildings. At first they were wary around the Slade-bots, but after a while they realized that Robin Jr wasn't lying when he said the robots couldn't see them.

Artemis waved her hand in front of a robot's face as they passed, and it didn't react whatsoever. "Robin did good," she commented.

Aqualad signaled for them to stop when they were almost all the way across the property, and craned his neck around the corner of a building to look ahead. Apparently he saw the bad guys, because he seemed a lot more focused as he turned to look back at his teammates.

"If the timing is correct," Aqualad said, "we should be finished here at the same time Robin clears us to go inside. We must complete our mission and find the Titans quickly after this attack. We will only have a small window of time before those inside notice, but it should suffice."

The others started talking about the best way to take down the Shadows agents and put the vehicles out of commission to make it harder for anyone to get away, and Beast Boy zoned out a bit because he didn't know most of their codewords and terms. When they were talking about the helicopter he piped up with an idea because this was taking way too long, and why did they need to think every little detail through?

"We could smash it?" he offered, trying to hurry things up.

"Smashing things isn't very covert," Miss Martian told him.

"Noted. Umm… What should we do?"

"Smash it covertly," suggested Artemis.

"Gotcha," Beast Boy replied. Something clicked in his mind suddenly,and he asked, "Is covert like what we were doing when we were trying not to be found out by you and the Justice League?"

There was a pause as everybody thought this over, and then…"Yes," Aqualad said.

"Why didn't you say so before? I get it now."

Artemis armed her bow with three arrows, ducked out from their hiding place, and fired. Clouds of gas were released from the arrows as they hit the ground, making the men in dark clothes cough. Once the Shadows agents were lying on the ground unconscious, the heroes ran forward. It struck Beast Boy that they ('they' as in the Titans, but this team too) sure had gassed a lot of people in the past couple of weeks. Oh well.

"Gutsy of them to bring a helicopter to Metropolis," Kid Flash remarked, and Beast Boy looked around for him before remembering that he was far away, outside the fence. "Are they feeling lucky?"

"We're barely in Metropolis," Superboy said gruffly as he bent the blades of the helicopter upwards, rendering it useless.

"Still inside city limits," said Robin Jr. Also not there currently, Beast Boy reminded himself.

"You mean the city limits that we can see, right there?" Artemis said, pausing from tying up the limp Shadows agents to jerk a thumb in the direction of the perimeter fence and the whizzing lights of the highway not far beyond.

"Still inside city limits," Robin Jr repeated in a half-irritated, sing-song voice.

"They must have precautions of some kind," Miss Martian said, peeking inside the windows of the trucks to search for weapons.

"Lemme guess," Kid Flash said. "Kryptonite bullets? Lame. Unoriginal."

"But effective," Aqualad said, slashing the tires of the trucks with glowing swords made of water. (Cool!thought Beast Boy to himself. He thought he thought it to himself, but it was possible he didn't because Aqualad looked like he was trying to hide a smile.)

This whole time, Beast Boy hadn't a clue of what to do. He was a visitor; a new kid that didn't fit in. He didn't understand their codewords or who had what role, and when he tried to help he wound up tripping Artemis by accident. After that he hung back and tried not to get in their way or slow them down as they crippled the vehicles, tied up the goons, and found the Kryptonite weapons and hid them so the League could deal with them when they did a sweep of the property later.

And finally, finally, the team was done with this phase of covert-ness and Robin was done with his computer mumbo jumbo so they all met up quick in order to split into new teams, one to go to the building with the two people inside (they figured that it had to be Raven and Slade), and one to go to the building with four people inside (they figured that it had to be Speedy, Jinx, Madame Rouge, and Sportsmaster). Beast Boy was so happy with being on the Raven-finding team that it almost didn't register to him that a certain speedster was assigned to the other team.

"No!" Beast Boy exclaimed in his mind, once he realized what was happening. He pointed at Kid Flash. "You don't fight Rouge! Didn't Robin tell you that?"

"Tell us what?" asked Kid Flash.

"Um…" Beast Boy wracked his brain for the right, safe, words. "She can stretch really, really fast. Faster than you can run."

"Pfft. Doubt it."

"She can! She's…"

How was he supposed to tell them? The team would unravel if he did, and the mission might… Everyone would lose their focus, and how would they be able to save the other Titans then?

The good thing about having Robin—the Robin that Beast Boy was used to—around was that, as the leader, he was the one to make all the tough decisions. And yeah, sometimes he was wrong, but he always owned up to it and found a way to fix it eventually.

Beast Boy wouldn't be the one to tell them. No. No he wouldn't. He'd… He'd tell them wrong, he knew he would. He'd screw it up somehow. What would he even say? 'We think you're dead'? That'd go over well.

"She's fought you before," said Beast Boy, "and you've never… I mean, your powers aren't a good match against hers. It's, um, a strategic thing."

"Wait, wait, wait…" Kid Flash said, holding out his hands in a 'whoa' gesture and grinning excitedly. "So there's a Kid Flash in your world? Really? I was going to ask about—"

"Kid. Now is not the time," Aqualad said sternly. "We could switch the teams so..."

But it turned out that Kid Flash refused to be on a different team than Robin Jr, and Robin Jr suggested that the two of them be switched to the Raven team, which he seemed more keen to be a part of, but Aqualad couldn't do that because the 'Raven team' was just another name for the 'Slade team', but then again they were only guessing at who was inside each building, and they were hoping to get in and out without fighting any bad guys at all, and by the end Beast Boy was so confused that he didn't even know what team he was on anymore, until he learned that they hadn't been changed whatsoever.

"We'll be great," said Kid Flash, slinging an arm around either one of his teammates. Beast Boy had to hurry after his own team, and the protests and complaints he couldn't make without giving everything away were eating away inside of him like boiling acid. "Me, Supey, and Rob—can you say best team ever?"

"And Wolf," Superboy added.

"Right," said Kid Flash. "He can be our mascot. We're like… a pack of wolves. Is it too late for us to name our team? Because I just thought of an awesome one."

oOo

—Teen Titans : Speedy—

—An Even More Hellish Hell—

 _Not you_ , Speedy groaned inwardly. _Please, anyone but you._

But it was her. The painted mask grinning down at him eerily, the wild mane of black hair, the way she moved with languid, predatory ease. Unmistakably Cheshire. Just his luck to run into an alternate-dimensional version of her.

His first encounter with Cheshire had been just before the takedown of the Brotherhood of Evil, when she defeated him and took him to their base to be frozen. Every following encounter ended about as badly, because he tended to hold back when fighting women. That was his reasoning and he was sticking to it.

"Who's this girl, archer?" Cheshire asked, pointing her sai at Jinx. "Did you replace me? I'm hurt. And here I thought what we had was special."

"Why are you even here, Cheshire?" he asked. "Where's Slade? And what about that other guy, with the hockey mask?"

"Slade? I don't know who you're talking about. And as for Sportsmaster… he's long gone. Apparently he has better things to do, and he's letting us do the risky work. Not that I'm complaining… I don't want to work with him, anyway." She quirked her head to the side, and the tone of her voice matched the wide smile on her mask. "I find it interesting that you don't seem to know his name, considering that you did when we all fought in Taipei."

Crap.

"I—" he began.

"Don't bother making an excuse." Kneeling down, she placed the point of her sai against the side of his face and idly traced a line down. He refused to flinch. She was only applying light pressure, but the blade was so sharp that it bit into his skin regardless. "We both know that you're not the real Speedy," she said softly. "You're not Red Arrow. You're a different person, aren't you, Mr. Titan?"

This time, the word Speedy thought of was much more vulgar.

"That's Mr. Teen Titan to you," he retorted, while inside his head he was screaming: How does she know how does she know how does she know?

Cheshire ruffled his red hair. "You're cute. It makes me feel bad that they're going to crack open that cute head of yours to find out more about who you are and where you come from. If you cooperate, maybe they'll let you survive." She waited. The only response Speedy gave her was a glare. "No? You'll have time to think it over on the way there."

"There's one big flaw to your kidnapping plan," Speedy told her vindictively. "The Justice League is tracking me. They know exactly where I am at all times."

That information didn't seem to surprise Cheshire in the least. "Well, we'll just have to hurry and get you to where they're not allowed to go. Somewhere outside their jurisdiction. Far, far away, where no one can reach you."

Jinx, who'd been quiet and still, trying to get Cheshire to forget she was there, finally proved herself slightly useful and slashed at Cheshire with something sharp—the knife Speedy gave her. The masked woman spun on her heels and caught Jinx's arms before metal could touch skin.

"Good try, but not good enough," Cheshire said, amused.

"Then how about this?" asked Speedy as he reached from behind Cheshire and clicked handcuffs closed around her wrists—the handcuffs he opened earlier and had pretended to be wearing.

Jinx was already bolting out of the room, and after nudging Cheshire sharply with his foot so that she lost her balance and fell on her side, Speedy tried to follow. The only, rather large, problem was the chain that suddenly tightened around his throat and drew him back.

Cheshire was using the handcuffs to throttle him from behind. Never underestimate the speed or cunning of scary lady assassins. She was murmuring velvety threats into his ear that he didn't catch because he was too busy struggling for air as his vision blurred and darkened.

He had one final trick at his disposal. In a last-ditch attempt for freedom and life, Speedy threw all of his weight backwards so that the two of them collided with the wall. Cheshire got the worst of the impact, banging her head against the hard cement, while Speedy's landing was a bit… softer. The disorientation from the blow to the head caused Cheshire to loosen the chain, giving Speedy enough slack to slip free and flee out into the hallway.

Aware that Cheshire would recover soon and be out for blood—more blood, that was to say, since that cut on his face seemed to be deeper than he initially thought—Speedy slammed the door behind him and felt for the knobs to turn the locks, only to want to scream at his bad luck when he discovered that he needed a key to lock the door. That key would be in Cheshire's possession, and he wasn't going back in there to find it, since he'd be better off sticking his hand into a tiger's mouth than trying to frisk her.

In a bout of improvisation, he ripped off a section of exposed piping from the wall. Weakened by rust, it came free easily and dripped stale water as he jammed it against the door to keep it shut… for now.

He sprinted down the grey, underground tunnel, not knowing where he was going. He didn't know if he was running towards more danger, or how he'd be able to hold up in a fight with no weapons. All he knew was that he needed to get out. And also find Jinx. In some order.

As it turned out, he found the pink glow of her hexes flickering in the gloom before he found a staircase or elevator. He followed it as it grew brighter, hearing voices that made his stomach twist in dread. As he rounded a corner, he discovered that his hunch was right—she was fighting Rouge.

He saw Madame Rouge strike Jinx, causing her to crash head-first into the wall. "I know you," said the villain contemplatively, stepping towards her.

Jinx got to her feet, wincing and looking a little shaken but still very vengeful. "So now you know who I am? Then tell me: what's my name?"

"I cannot remember."

"You have to," Jinx said angrily, firing blasts of pink light at Rouge. "That's how this is supposed to work." A few of her spells missed their marks and sent deep cracks across the ceiling.

"What do you think you're doing, Jinx?" Speedy demanded. He was reluctant to step into the crossfire, but this needed to stop. The walls groaned ominously as they resettled. Was she trying to bring the entire place down on their heads?

"She's going to remember. And then I'm going to make her pay."

Rouge was evading the attacks, twisting snake-like in the air, but Jinx started releasing waves of energy that were nearly impossible to dodge, sending the villain flying to the floor again and again because Rouge wouldn't stay down and Jinx wouldn't quit.

"Jinx?" asked Madame Rouge as she stood again, having heard Speedy say the name.

"Yes, Jinx. J-I-N-X. Remember me now?"

"No," she said, sneering. "You claim to know about—"

"Oh, I know plenty, Rouge," said Jinx maliciously, hurling more hexes as she spoke. Rouge was shaky and sluggish from the hits, meaning she was able to dodge less and less of Jinx's attacks. "Let me guess—you woke up somewhere random in Jump City, feeling like you just got caught in an explosion, and wandered around for a while, unable to remember much except that you like inflicting pain and suffering, and ruining peoples' lives, or taking those lives away. And then you joined up with some people as twisted as you, glad to use you and have you do their dirty work for them." It was getting to the point where Jinx didn't wait until Madame Rouge was fully standing before striking again. "It's going to stop. I'm going to stop you. But first you need to remember who I am." Another wave of destructive magic blasted Madame Rouge across the room, and this time she didn't get up. She didn't even move.

"She's down," Speedy said, but Jinx didn't seem to hear him and raised her arms again, about to cast more hexes. He stepped in front of her. "Jinx, she's down."

"So what?" Her face was flushed with rage and her eyes were glowing fiercely. Speedy wouldn't admit it, but he was a little afraid at that moment.

"So, back off."

"Trying to protect my innocence?" Jinx scoffed. "Like you care if I get blood on my hands. Maybe… maybe I've done it before," she said carelessly, like it was no big deal one way or the other.

Her pale hands had never taken a life. Speedy could tell by the way they were trembling.

"I only care," Speedy said in a hard voice, "because I care about the Teen Titans. You're still a member, and what you do has consequences for the rest of us." He glared at the girl who had come closer to ending the Teen Titans by being a member than she'd ever gotten by being their enemy. "Do you realize how hard it was for Robin and I to convince the League not to do a hostile takeover after your little 'let's go after Rouge ourselves' stunt? There's no way they'd leave us alone if one of our members offed someone."

"They won't have to find out."

"But they will,"Speedy growled. She was stupid if she thought Batman wouldn't catch wind of it somehow. "You don't even know how much being a Titan means to some of us, do you?"

He'd thought that she, of all people, would understand. The Titans were the ones who gave her a chance, overlooked her past, accepted her. But apparently none of that meant anything to her, not if she was willing to commit an act that would ruin them all. Obviously she didn't care—she was quitting the team anyway.

"How can you not want her to pay for what she did?" Jinx whispered furiously. "She hurt him, and she'd do it again. If you were ever really his friend, you'd—"

"I'd stop his idiot girlfriend from doing something that won't be worth it. It's not worth it. It'll never be worth it," he stressed, trying to force some sense into her. And it worked—her face lost that tinge of savage rage as the cool reason she lost in the heat of the moment returned. "We need to get out of here before she wakes up," he said, already looking around to decide on the best route.

"It's not over," Jinx said softly as she followed him. "Not yet."

oOo

—The Team : Robin—

"It's just weird," Robin muttered. He peered around a corner for any surprises lurking in the dim hallway, and then waved his teammates forward. "Something feels off. It's the security; there wasn't enough of it."

"Give Slade a break," Kid Flash said. "He's only had like a week to put this together."

"Think about it," Robin said. "After all the robots we took down last night, why haven't we seen any new ones being built? This place is nearly deserted." He thought this over to himself. "This is a secondary base—expendable. Things are worse than we thought."

They were silent after that, in both their voices and their mind-link, not wanting to distract Superboy as he concentrated on tracking heartbeats. He signaled when they were close to the targets. To be on the safe side, they took fighting stances when they leapt out from around a corner and revealed themselves.

Luckily, it was the two Titans that they'd expected, and not enemies. The heroes all stared at each other in shock for a tense second, and then relaxed.

Speedy lowered his fists and shared a wide-eyed glance with the pink-haired girl, Jinx. "Oh, crap. What are you doing here?" he asked them, an expression of dread crossing his face.

"We're here to bust you free," said Robin, feeling affronted. A little gratitude would've been nice.

"Well, I did the first part," Speedy said quickly, "but if you can help us with the rest that'd be great. We need to hurry, though." Jinx jabbed him in the arm and gave him a significant look, and then pointed at her foot and winced. "What?" he snapped at her.

"I twisted my ankle, remember?" she asked through gritted teeth, poking him in the arm again.

"Oh. Oh. Right." Speedy turned to the speedster among them. "Hey, Kid Flash, can you carry her ahead? Go straight outside and find a safe place. And stay there… to, uh, protect her."

"I get it. You don't want your girlfriend getting hurt." Winking at a scowling Speedy, Kid Flash scooped up Jinx in his arms. "Don't worry, I won't flirt with her. Much." He dashed away.

Speedy took a deep breath of relief and watched them go.

"Shall we?" asked Robin, gesturing down the corridor. They ran, taking the same path as Kid Flash, but they didn't make it very far before Superboy grabbed Robin and Speedy by the scruffs and pulled them around a corner, into a shadowy passage that led to a dead end.

"What—?" Speedy began, but Robin put a finger to his own lips to signal silence, watching Superboy, who had his head cocked to the side, listening to something the two humans couldn't quite hear. Wolf was also listening, his ears twitching.

"Cheshire, I think," Superboy said finally. "And another woman. They're arguing. Cheshire doesn't like her." He paused to listen again. "Now they're coming to look for us. Time to fight?"

"There's no point in us fighting Rouge," Speedy said in a hushed voice. "She recovers too fast, and we don't have a way of containing her if we do manage to beat her. Which I doubt we'll be able to, since we'd have to deal with Cheshire too. We need to leave."

"We won't be able to leave without getting into a fight," Robin said. He and Speedy might be able to sneak away, but Superboy wasn't trained enough in the art of stealth to get past a Shadows assassin like Cheshire unnoticed. "You and I can take Cheshire. Superboy and Wolf should be strong enough to take down Madame Rouge."

Speedy didn't seem convinced. "Rouge is nearly as strong… but she's also weak to fire," he whispered, masked eyes widening in realization, or maybe because they could hear muted footsteps coming closer to where they stood hidden. "Uh, You! Superboy! Some heat vision would be helpful right now."

"I don't do that," Superboy stated.

Speedy stared. "Okay…" he said slowly. He looked over at Robin. "Quick; do you have any explosives?"

Robin laughed softly. "Do I have any explosives?" he echoed, shaking his head in amusement. "Do you even need to ask?" From his utility belt, he pulled out three different types of explosive devices and held them out for Speedy. "Here, take your pick."

Speedy went for the throwing discs, and Robin kept the marble bombs and the incendiary grenades to use himself. Maybe it was overkill, but, why not? On the count of three, Robin created a cover of smokescreen for them with smoke pellets and the heroes and their pet charged from their hiding place, hurling the explosives behind them at their pursuers.

"Bombs away!" Robin called right before the detonation. The four of them were almost at the exit, fire crackling at their backs and the walls shaking and threatening to collapse. So close so close just a little bit farther…!

oOo

—The Team : Aqualad—

The main room they were in was large and open, spanned by metal catwalk bridges and connected stairwells that needed to be stepped on carefully to prevent rattling. At the same time, they had to move quickly because they were very open and vulnerable to attack.

Yet… they hadn't been attacked. There was no one else in the building, it seemed, making Aqualad fear that they were walking straight into a trap. He kept his guard up and his waterbearers in his grip as Miss Martian, using her telepathic powers to sense nearby minds, led them to a door on the second level.

Artemis was left outside to keep watch, and the rest of them ventured into the dark room. The only light came from Aqualad's glowing tattoos and waterbearers, casting their surroundings in pale blue that made it look like they were underwater.

It was empty except for a girl in a cloak sitting cross-legged on the floor and watching them quietly, as though wondering if they were truly there.

Beast Boy beamed, visibly relieved. "Raven! You're okay! I thought that since— That you'd be— But you're okay! And everything's okay because we got here in time."

"No, you didn't," Raven said bluntly. Not with resentment or anger; simply stating a truth.

She did not look well. As they neared, Aqualad could see that her eyes seemed to be bloodshot.

"What?" Beast Boy asked, faltering. "But—?"

"You got here," she said, "and that's enough." She held up a hand signaling them to stop and not step any closer.

Aqualad was confused for a moment, until he looked down and saw the circle drawn on the floor around her, that must have been keeping her contained. It was lined with symbols that were nothing like the ones Aqualad had learned about at the Conservatory of Sorcery. Atlantean magic was fluid, graceful—honed and perfected over centuries until it had become a science and an art rolled into one. These markings were spiky and raw, reminding him of ancient pictures he'd seen on the walls of deep sea caves, that were thought to have been carved before the founding of Atlantis.

Something magical had transpired here, but he could not say what.

"Are you hurt at all?" Miss Martian asked Raven, as Aqualad used his powers to manipulate the water he carried with him, washing away the symbols and allowing Raven to walk free.

"Just tired; really tired," said Raven, frowning and drawing her cloak tighter around her. "I'm completely drained. I won't be able to fight or fly us out of here."

"There will be no need. We have everything under control," Aqualad assured her.

"Raven, what happened?" Beast Boy asked with concern. "What did Slade—"

"Later, all right? We need to get out of here," said Raven as they left the room and rejoined Artemis.

"Robin, have you located your Titans?" Aqualad asked, getting no answer in return. The metal platform they were standing on shook slightly, and he heard what he thought sounded like an explosion outside. "Robin?" he asked more urgently. "Kid? Superboy?"

"Sorry," came Robin's voice over the mind-link, "we were a bit preoccupied there. Yes, we got 'em. Had a near-encounter with Cheshire and Madame Rouge, but we're in the clear now. KF's already at the bio-ship with Jinx, and we'll meet him there once we make sure we're not being followed. Unless you need back-up?"

"No, I don't believe we require any. We have Raven, and are leaving now. I was about to inform the League—"

"Huh? Um… Just a sec." There was a moment of quiet on Robin's end. "No need to call them, Aqualad. They're just on their way, apparently. I got a message—they're freaked out because one of the inter-dimensional energy signals here disappeared…" he said, and then asked, almost hesitantly, "Have you seen Slade at all?"

Something fell into place, and Aqualad looked at Raven. "What kind of spell…"

"Aqualad," Artemis said with urgency. "Up there." Above them, on a higher level, they could see a dark figure running.

"If you don't stop Slade now," said Raven quietly, "there's no telling when you'll get another opportunity."

"Miss Martian, Beast Boy—escort Raven outside," Aqualad ordered. "Artemis and I will join you soon."

"That's unnecessary," Raven said. "I don't need two people to—"

"I will not take any chances. We came here to bring you to safety, and we will fulfill our objective. Go!"

"We can at least slow him down until the League gets here," Artemis told Aqualad in the mind-link as they sprinted along the catwalks in the opposite direction of their teammates. She was shooting everything from bolo to net arrows at Slade, only to have the man evade them without even looking their way.

"Slow down who?" Kid Flash asked, having heard their shared thoughts. "What? Artemis, don't tell me you're—"

"Stay in your locations," Aqualad commanded. "That's an order."

Robin protested next. "But you can't just—!"

"Maneuver seven," Aqualad said to Artemis, who nodded in understanding. Helaced his fingers together and held them out, palm-up, for her to use as a foot-hold as he threw her high in the air. She landed on another bridge with her bow drawn, and Aqualad vaulted the railing, dropping down to the platform below.

They had Slade trapped on a staircase—Artemis at the top with an arrow aimed directly at him, and Aqualad at the bottom with his waterbearers set into the form of maces, ready to strike. True, Slade could have leapt over the side, but for whatever reason he chose not to.

"Well, some new faces," Slade said, looking back and forth. Slade's voice was not how Aqualad imagined it at all. It wasn't gruff or harsh. It was calm, collected, and cool enough to make him feel chilled.

"We have a message for you," said Aqualad, giving his best attempt at being intimidating when faced with a man larger than him, likely more skilled than him, and currently watching him with one sinister eye.

"Don't mess with us—any of us—or you'll wind up losing another eye," Artemis warned.

"Be careful, girl," Slade said. "Don't make threats you can't follow through on. I'll let it slide, because it's obvious you're new to heroics. Aren't you?"

Something about that jab at her being a novice hit home, and she narrowed her eyes. "You're just asking for—"

"Artemis," Aqualad called. Slade was trying to get under her skin. They could not allow themselves to become frustrated.

"She may be new to the hero game," said Slade, "but you aren't, Aqualad. New to being in charge, though, that's clear. You might want to try tightening your control over your team before something terrible happens, and it's all your fault."

Aqualad tensed at these threats disguised as advice. He realized that if Slade was facing him, then he couldn't see Artemis. A one-eyed man would have a large blind spot, so perhaps…

Artemis seemed to have come to the same conclusion. She was raising her bow and pulling the string very… carefully…

Taking that as his cue, Aqualad charged, raising his maces to strike at the same time Artemis fired her arrow. Slade managed to slip out of the way in the blink of an eye, so that Aqualad was the one forced to duck and avoid being struck by the arrow. This man couldn't be fooled.

But when Aqualad spun around and swung maces coursing with electricity, Slade seemed almost surprised in the face of the sparks, and Aqualad managed to strike him once. Slade recovered quickly from the surprise and the electric shock. Aqualad had a feeling that that trick would not work again. He was probably right, as the next thing he knew he was being grabbed and thrown at Artemis. She leapt and rolled out of the way just in time, and hastily helped him back onto his feet.

The metal platforms were shaking once more, however this time it wasn't coming from outside. Explosions rang through the room—small ones, but many of them.

"Tell me," said Slade, before leaping down the bottom level, "how certain are you of your escape routes?"

"Aqualad, what's going on?" Robin asked.

"Slade wired the entire building to explode."

"Sorry!" Beast Boy apologized frantically. "I should've warned you—he does that sometimes!"

"I was right, then," said Robin. "This isn't his primary base."

"Artemis, we need to go," said Aqualad. She wasn't listening to him as she leaned over the railing and held her bowstring taut, keeping Slade in her sight. "Artemis," he repeated, more sternly.

"I can get this shot!" she insisted. "Just give me a second…"

She fired, and her aim was true. At the last second Slade turned and caught the arrow mid-air, looking straight at them as he tossed it aside, and then turned and fled.

"The second is up," Aqualad told her. With a scowl, she stuck the next arrow she'd been about to fire back into her quiver and the two of them raced to safety as the building crumbled around them.

oOo

—Teen Titans : Beast Boy—

Later, when they were all back together and under cover of the trees by the bio-ship (he thought they were by the bio-ship, but since it was invisible it was hard to tell), Beast Boy looked up at the clouds of smoke and dust hanging in the air over what used to be standing buildings before two big explosions.

"Was that covert enough?" he asked, looking away from the scene of the destruction to the nearest hero from this dimension.

"Uh… Yeah, sure," muttered Artemis, using her forearm to wipe off some dust the rain hadn't washed away from her face. "Why not?"

"Hey, you said you twisted your ankle!" Kid Flash exclaimed, seeing Jinx walk towards her teammates normally, without any sort of limp. "You seem fine now."

Jinx shrugged. "I thought I twisted it. Guess it was just minor." She crossed her arms and turned away from him quickly. "So… where's Robin?" she asked the other Titans. "Chasing after Slade?"

"No," Beast Boy said, "he got benched. By Batman."

"Oh man, I am not excited to see what kind of mood he's in," Speedy said with a groan. "Any reason why we're working with these guys all of a sudden?"

"About that… I've got some really bad news."

Speedy said, "Good, because I've got worse news."

"I have the worst news," Raven said with absolute certainty, and her three teammates cringed in advance because Raven never ever exaggerated.

Aqualad finished talking to someone through a communicator in his ear. "Our work here is done," he told everyone. "The Justice League will search the area for the criminals. We are to report to Mount Justice as soon as possible."

Just as they were about to board the ship, a streak of red flew by, and when it was gone Kid Flash's hair was suddenly unkempt as though someone had ruffled it. He flushed embarrassedly at being checked up on by his mentor but couldn't keep from grinning as he tried to fix it back to its normal style.

The four Titans met each others' gazes immediately, and Beast Boy found that he didn't need a fancy psychic mind-link to know what each of them was thinking. They all knew that this team hadn't been told about the very very bad thing that happened months ago, and none of them knew whether or not they should. There was no resounding yes or definite no. They were just as conflicted and unsure as he was.


	19. Chapter 19

**.**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

 _—The Team : Robin—_

 _—Mount Justice—_

Other Robin was waiting for them in the hangar when they returned. He was standing on the smooth stone platform with Black Canary beside him, his jaw set and his masked eyes fixed on the bio-ship as the hatch opened and each hero aboard walked down the ramp. A message had been sent to the Cave saying that everyone was safe, but Other Robin seemed anxious, like he wouldn't believe it until he saw it for himself. With each recovered team member his gaze lingered on, his face lost more of that hard, anxious expression.

As Aqualad reported to Black Canary and Kid Flash loudly bragged to nobody in particular about how awesome their team was for accomplishing the mission without breaking a sweat, Robin noticed his counterpart looking his way, too—checking up on him—and he didn't know whether to feel appreciative of the concern or really annoyed. Other Robin's aloof/protective act was getting tiresome fast.

The Titans walked towards Other Robin, and he seemed so relieved to see his friends—a little banged-up and scraped-up, but otherwise okay and, more importantly, alive—that he smiled a real, genuine smile.

That was the first time Robin had seen Other Robin be truly happy about something. It made him look younger.

Aqualad gave the Titans' leader a respectful nod and Other Robin gave one back, looking grateful and almost impressed—getting there, anyway. Other Robin listened attentively to Aqualad summarize the events of the mission, frowning when he heard the ending, about Slade fighting Artemis and Aqualad and then leveling the building with an explosion in a getaway attempt.

"We should have warned you…" said Other Robin apologetically. "He does that sometimes."

"That's what I said!" Beast Boy claimed.

"Hey, Robin," Speedy said to his friend, smirking, as they all walked out of the hangar, "do you know that you have a Batman band-aid on your face?"

Ripping off the offending bandage, Other Robin shot a glare at Black Canary that she must have developed an immunity to in their time together, because she didn't even blink.

oOo

After that there were a lot of preparations to make for their new guests. The Titans were stranded, cut off from their home universe without any means of communication and only the hope that help would come eventually.

With only minor bumps and some singed hair, the Team was cleared by their current supervisor to leave the med bay while the Titans stayed behind to be fussed over. There was nothing lamer than coming back from a mission and having to do chores, especially when Robin was being plagued by the worry that the villains would escape from the Justice Leaguers searching the property in Metropolis, along with an unrelenting curiosity to know everything the Titans wouldn't tell them. Yet.

He found his chance to slip away from his friends after changing the sheets on the beds in the dusty spare rooms. He stuffed the old sheets in a laundry chute and took a large detour on his way back that led him to the med bay almost on the opposite end of the cave.

The electronic sliding door was wide open, and Robin poked his head inside the room slowly.

Jinx was the closest, sitting quietly with her back facing him, holding an ice pack to her head. Apparently she and Speedy got into a fight with that Madame Rouge person before Robin's group met up with them. The Titans hadn't offered any details. Not on the fight, not on what happened to Raven, and not about why Slade's signal had suddenly vanished. They all insisted on talking to their Robin first.

Black Canary was playing the part of concerned mother figure toward Speedy, and he in turn was filling the role of disgruntled son so well that it was hard to believe that they weren't actually related, or even from the same universe.

"Give it a rest, Canary," Speedy said with a scowl, trying to wave away her and the first-aid kit.

"You got cut with one of Cheshire's knives," she said sternly. "It may have been poisoned."

"It wasn't, or I'd be a drooling heap on the ground by now."

"It could be a slow-acting—"

"It would have to be the slowest-acting poison in the world," he groused, and the two of them went on to bicker about symptoms, antidotes, and his bad attitude.

Raven, Beast Boy, and Other Robin were seated close together on beds in the far corner, talking in low voices. Robin could only pick out sparse words like Slade and portal between Speedy's loud complaints; words that piqued his interest and made him lean in further to hear better.

"Your powers…" Other Robin was saying to Raven. His voice was still slightly raspy, but he hadn't coughed once since they'd returned to Mount Justice, so he seemed to be feeling better. "Are they…?"

Raven looked exhausted. Even her cloak seemed to sag heavily from her shoulders. While she'd been pale when Robin met her before, he was sure that she was paler now—her face was almost chalk-white.

"They're fine. I just need to meditate and rest for a day or two to get back to full strength," she said.

"Are you sure?" asked Beast Boy, and by the annoyed way Raven rolled her eyes it must have been the fourth or fifth time he'd asked it.

"Here, I'll prove it." She reached a glowing hand to Robin's bruised face, but he leaned back, away from her touch.

"No, you're too low on energy—"

"There's nothing wrong with me, Robin. Stop being a stubborn idiot and let me fix your face. It will take three seconds."

It took less than three seconds. Raven gave them a "there, see?" look once she'd proven that they could shut up and stop asking her if she was okay.

"I thought you said you were going to fix his face," Jinx piped up, sounding unimpressed. "Still looks kinda…"

Beast Boy sniggered at that, but there was no scowling or frowning from Other Robin at all. He took that teasing joke at his expense good-naturedly, and it was clear to see how relieved he was to have his team back together.

Raven's head turned and her eyes found Robin where he was half-hidden in the doorway. He smiled at her, and her gaze drifted up to lock on a spot above his head. Somebody taller was standing behind him, he knew that, and he also knew who—he'd heard the footsteps. It was Kaldur, coming to find him.

Robin sighed and backed into the hallway. "I wanted to see how Raven's doing," he explained to his teammate. "I want to find out what—"

"Let them have a few minutes to themselves, Robin," Kaldur said. "There will be a debriefing soon enough."

"But it's not soon enough," Robin grumbled as he let himself be led away.

oOo

"Ah!" exclaimed Beast Boy as he entered the living area with the other Titans. He clapped a hand over his chest as though his heart was swelling painfully from joy. "A couch!" He leapt over the back of the piece of furniture and fell flat on top of it, burying his face in the cushions. "When we get back home," he said, his voice muffled, "I'm never going camping again."

Robin and his friends were bunched around the counter in the kitchen in various states of leaning and sitting when the Titans showed up. They'd been talking about, well, the Titans, making this more than a little awkward.

"Where is home for you?" asked M'gann, placing a tray of cookies on the countertop as her teammates shifted to try and make more space to include the newcomers. Speedy seemed as happy as Beast Boy to see the sofa, and went to kick the green boy out of the way to make room to sit down. The other three Titans stayed standing, but did move a bit closer to their hosts.

Other Robin thought for a moment before responding. He gave answers like each one was the next step on thin ice, and he wasn't sure whether to risk it. "Jump City," he said finally, deeming this information trivial enough to share.

"Didn't take you for a California person," Wally said. He was sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter, and already his hand was wandering towards the nearby food. "Aren't you allergic to sunlight?"

"That's Batman."

That may have been a joke, but no one was certain, so they didn't go as far as to laugh. A couple of small smiles, that was it.

"Your mountain cave base is cool," Beast Boy commented, looking around at the stone walls, massive flat-screen television, and gleaming kitchen, "but our house is cooler. It's a giant tower shaped like a T."

Wally laughed through a mouthful of cookie. "Ha! That's rich. But, seriously, where do you live?"

"He was being serious," Raven said, and nobody needed to clarify whether or not she was.

"You know what else is serious?" asked Speedy, turning around on the sofa to look back at them. "Traitors."

None of the members of the Team knew how to react to such a sudden and unexpected accusation, so they just stood mutely, blinking in surprise.

"That was just a theory, Speedy," Raven said calmly. "We can't jump to conclusions—we talked about this in the infirmary. You're overreacting."

"No, I'm not. Cheshire called me a Titan! The bad guys know about us. They know we're from another dimension and what we're called. Someone's been feeding them information."

"Well, it could've been one of our villains," Beast Boy said into the couch cushions. "They remember some stuff."

"I don't think so," Jinx said, shaking her head, which she was still holding an ice pack pressed against. She'd been quiet up until now, and wouldn't look directly at anybody but her own teammates for some reason. She struck Robin as a bit… snobby, almost. "I was there too, and Cheshire seemed like she already knew about the energy signals and the satellite tracking. Some random villain couldn't have told her, and whoever she's working for, about that."

"What about Slade?" Kaldur asked.

"He did hack our computer twice in the past week," Other Robin said, his face darkening at the memories. "I'm sure he knows about how we've been tracking people from our dimension, but I'm also sure he wouldn't tell anyone. He's pretending to be Deathstroke, and that would blow his cover."

"So the only people who know are us, Slade, the JL, and all of you. Who's been leaking info?" Speedy asked, eyeing each of them in suspicion. That explained why the Titans insisted on talking to their Robin first, before they shared information with the Team. The Titans didn't trust them.

The members of the Team were having trouble trusting each other, too, ever since Aqualad fought Sportsmaster with Red Arrow in Taipei and the criminal hinted that there was a mole among them. They all claimed that it was nothing more than a false tip—a wedge meant to drive them apart—but there was always that lingering doubt.

"We didn't tell anyone anything about you," Conner said firmly. "But if you don't want to believe us, there's the door."

"Benefit of the doubt," said Other Robin with a shrug, although he was looking at the door like he wanted nothing more than to march out through it. "For now, anyway."

"So, if we're okay now," Robin said, "can you please tell us what happened back there? Aqualad said he saw magic symbols. Does that have to do with why Slade's signal disappeared off the map?" Pressing a button on his glove, he brought up the familiar map on the nearby TV screen. The only dots left on it belonged to the Titans, and to Red X in Gotham. Slade had vanished off the grid, bringing the total of untraceable villains roaming about up to three.

Raven took a deep breath and said, "Slade performed a spell—an unbelievably dangerous, complicated spell that's near-suicide to attempt without decades of study—to seal some of my magic into a crystal."

Wally gave a loud snort of disbelief at the word 'magic', and Artemis jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow as a warning.

"With that magic," Raven continued, shooting Wally a disparaging glance, "he can prepare another extremely dangerous spell—that anyone with common sense would never attempt—to open a portal back to our dimension. He said that there were big 'plans' being made in this world that he wants to be a part of, so that he can gain enough power to return to our world and…"

"Take things over?" offered Beast Boy.

"He is working with the Injustice League and their allies, then," Kaldur said. "Sportsmaster, the League of Shadows… He has partnered himself with them."

"How could he have known there was a big, evil organization to work with before he came here?" asked Robin, trying and failing to make things add up.

Other Robin had explained before the mission how the Titans fixing their inter-dimensional portal and traveling here had all been part of Slade's plan to cross dimensions himself. With the billions of alternate universes or dimensions there were in existence, either Slade had taken a huge risk and gotten lucky to find that this one had exactly what he needed, or—more likely but seemingly impossible—he had prior knowledge before stepped foot here.

"The same way he knew about this universe specifically," said Other Robin. "But first you'll need to know a bit of Slade's history."

Other Robin explained how Slade was killed about two years ago in a volcano triggered by an earthquake, and was brought back to life as an undead messenger to a powerful being that wanted to rule the planet.

"In exchange for his service, Slade was going to get his humanity back. But he was betrayed, and helped us in order to take it back himself. It worked out for all of us, and that's why he's alive now."

"He said that he saw all of his lives when he died, including the life of this world's Deathstroke," Raven said, "but that might not be accurate. It's possible that what really happened was different, and he can't remember it correctly because, well, coming back from the dead can be a lot to wrap your head around. I think that, when Slade became the messenger and his humanity sealed away as later payment, it wasn't just his humanity. And when he took it back forcibly, he received more than he bargained for."

"Does that mean there's only one Slade in all the universes?" Robin asked, all of this new information sinking in. "Since ours went missing, did all of them except for yours?"

"Not necessarily," said Raven. "He said this life made an impression. We have no way of knowing, but it could be that your Deathstroke's life just happened to be the only other one that stayed with him, and the others were released and returned. We could all have met by pure chance."

"He's two people," Conner said, looking for clarification.

"Not exactly. He's our Slade first and foremost, but now he has some new ideas and thoughts, courtesy of your universe's version."

"Sounds like he's unstable," said Kid Flash.

"More so than usual," Robin corrected. "It makes sense, why he wanted to come here. Maybe it's not just because he saw an opportunity in Deathstroke's memories. Maybe it's because—"

"—the Deathstroke part of him felt a need to return," finished Raven grimly.

"This still sounds crazy," Jinx said, and then she sighed tiredly. "I suppose now we can add multiple personalities to his file, along with the all the rest."

"You still haven't explained why he's not showing up," Robin pointed out, waving his hand toward the television screen.

"Those energy signals are the aftereffects of traveling to this dimension," Raven explained. "The magic he took can disguise it, as long as he has the crystal near him, because it's meant to be used to travel to our dimension. It's a balance of opposites."

"Which makes our job a lot harder," Other Robin said, frowning.

"Not if the Justice League finds them," Wally said. "And they got there pretty fast, so they probably will."

"Cheshire and Rouge, and those League of Shadows agents, maybe. Slade left them to fend for themselves. But I don't think they'll find him. Blowing up his own base… it must have all been part of the plan. All he wanted was Raven's magic, and now that he has it he's fallen off the grid and can do whatever he wants, like spending time at his real base, without us following. This was just phase one."

Phase one… Other Robin was thinking the same thing Robin had been thinking during the mission. And Other Robin was right; if the Leaguers didn't find Slade in the chaos following the explosions—double explosions, but the Team was only responsible for one—then their chances of finding him anytime soon became a tiny sliver of what they once were. When they next heard from Batman, he would either have very good news or incredibly bad news.

Robin snapped to attention at the sound of his name. "What?" he asked, looking around for who'd been talking.

"What?" asked Speedy in confusion after an awkward pause. "Oh. No, not you Robin. Our Robin."

"This is getting too confusing," Artemis said, looking from Robin to Robin. "One of you needs a different name."

"When we met a Robin from another dimension, we called him Larry," Beast Boy recalled. "Maybe—"

"No one is allowed to call me Larry," Other Robin said immediately.

"Larry?" asked Robin curiously. "Who's Larry?"

"Keep your bones unbroken and, if you're lucky, you won't ever find out," Other Robin told him in a voice devoid of any humor.

Beast Boy wasn't giving up with the suggestions. "What about… Barry? Gary? Terry?"

"No," said Other Robin, "I'm not—"

"But, Terry's a really good one!"

"I'm Robin," Other Robin stated.

"No, I'm Robin," insisted Robin. "My dimension, so I get dibs."

"I'm older."

"Which makes me more qualified to be the one referred to as Robin. Boy Wonder, remember?"

Beast Boy grinned. "I have an idea! Remember when Starfire travelled through time, and she met a future version of you?" he asked Other Robin. "What was his name again? Right! It was—"

"Beast Boy!" Other Robin said sharply, and drew a finger across his own throat in a silencing gesture.

"…Let's just play it by ear, okay?" suggested M'gann.

Just then, an alert beeped from the computer in Robin's glove. He'd synchronized it with the Cave's computer system, and the message flashing on it made him feel both hopeful and worried.

Batman was back.

oOo

They all gathered in the mission room with for their official debriefing with Batman and Red Tornado, even though they'd pretty much covered everything in their discussion in the living area. Then again, when theories were accepted and approved by Batman they carried a lot more weight.

Right away, Other Robin asked the question everyone else was thinking: "They got away, didn't they?"

"We have League members searching," was Batman's only reply. The fact that he was here and not searching with them said it all—they were long gone, and he knew it.

He listened to them re-explain everything they knew about Slade, not saying a word until they got to the part about Raven's magic being stolen.

"What are you?" Batman asked her bluntly.

An expression of anger crossing his face, Other Robin opened his mouth, probably to protest about how Batman was talking to his teammate, but Raven spoke first.

"I'm the daughter of Trigon," she said "Trigon the Terrible; evil incarnate. Which makes me half-demon."

Batman's eyes narrowed to show that that was an answer he was not happy to hear.

"I— I think I know who you're talking about," said M'gann. "The priests and priestesses on my planet do yearly ceremonies to ward him off… We have a different name for him on Mars, though."

"As do we in Atlantis," Kaldur said. "I have come across writings of a similar being in my studies of sorcery, but nothing about a daughter."

"If your dad's supposedly an incredibly evil, 'magic'—" And here Wally made air-quotes with his fingers. "—demon, does that mean you're also—"

"No," said Other Robin and Beast Boy at the same time.

"I was supposed to be evil," Raven said, with no embarrassment. "The entire reason I was born was to help bring about the end of the world."

"That powerful being that Slade was working for…" Batman began.

"Was Trigon, yes."

"Oh, yeah," Beast Boy piped up, "there was this whole big deal with Raven, Trigon, and Slade, and the world ending and everyone turning to stone and stuff, but we fixed it. It's all good now. And hey, since he's an inter-dimensional demon or whatever, that means we probably saved your dimension too, right?"

"Yeah. You're welcome," Speedy said to this dimension's stunned heroes, with a high degree of self-satisfaction.

"Speedy, dude, you weren't even there," said Beast Boy.

"Why wasn't he?" M'gann asked, confused. "He wasn't a Titan then?"

"No, he was," said Beast Boy. "Kind of. Sort of."

"Speedy's a member of Titans East, not the original team," Other Robin explained quickly. "He volunteered to join us on this mission."

"And can someone please remind me why?" Speedy muttered under his breath. "This hasn't turned out to be the action-filled 'gotta catch 'em all' adventure I signed up for."

"You have more teams?" Artemis asked.

"Oh yeah, lots of them," Beast Boy said enthusiastically. "And honorary Titans, too. The only ones from the original team here are us three." He pointed at himself, Robin, and Raven. "Speedy's from East, and Jinx has only been on our team for a few months. Before that she was an honorary Titan. The other original members are Cyborg, who stayed behind—he's awesome, by the way—and also—"

Other Robin cut off Beast Boy's babbling. "Beast Boy, that's more than enough. We're getting off-topic."

"Well, can you blame us?" Robin asked irritably.

"There is much that we still do not know about you," Kaldur added.

"And you don't need to know stuff like that," Other Robin said. "You only need to know things that will help us catch our targets, like Slade."

So basically whatever you see fit to tell us, thought Robin, knowing Other Robin wouldn't share any information he didn't want to, no matter the amount of asking, or convincing, or pleading.

He was like Batman in that regard.

And, too soon, Batman was leaving to report this new information to the other adults heroes. "I need to speak with the Justice League," he told them all. "Red Tornado will stay in the Cave with you." He gave Robin a look that meant be patient, before turning and disappearing through the zeta tube.

oOo

—The Team : Artemis—

If there was one person who hated waiting more than Artemis, it would have to be Wally. He was complaining, and eating, and complaining, and asking the Titans questions that they wouldn't answer, and complaining, and eating…

Like whining would make time pass any less slowly, and make Batman come back and officially dismiss them all. (Artemis was pretty sure that the reason he hadn't already was that he wanted them to keep an eye on the Titans.) Wally was really getting on Artemis's nerves… more so than usual. Also, she thought it was extremely crude and disgusting how he was staring at Raven's legs and checking out Jinx. Creep.

"Where's your Kid Flash?" Wally was asking the Titans insistently. They were sitting on the sofa—they seemed very happy about it, like they hadn't seen one in a long, long time. They probably hadn't, come to think of it. "Is he on your team, or Titans East? Or one of the other teams you were talking about?"

"Our…" began the older Robin with wide eyes.

"Kid Flash," Wally supplied impatiently. "Beast Boy mentioned that you have one in your world." And then came a barrage of more questions like bullets, one right after the other: "Where is he? Is he a Teen Titan too? Which team? Why didn't he come on this mission? I could've met him!"

"We— We don't really know where he is," the older Robin said, as carefully as always. "We made him an honorary Titan, but he never joined up with a team. He's always kind of done his own thing."

The other Titans had their eyes locked on Robin as he spoke. Artemis wondered if Kid Idiot was a total jerk in their world, and had done something to seriously offend them. He seemed like a sore subject. Then again, what wasn't?

Wally opened his mouth to ask more questions, unsatisfied with the answers, but Kaldur gave him a warning look.

Suddenly, the older Robin let out a long breath of frustration and hunched down on the sofa, gripping tightly at his dark hair.

"What's wrong?" M'gann asked.

"We can't even warn the others back home about Slade. He has the power to move between dimensions if he wants, and we can't even tell them," he said miserably. "It wouldn't be a problem, if they managed to send Titans to check in on us, because then we could re-synch our communications. But they haven't, which means something must be wrong with the portal on their end, and who knows when they'll be able to fix it?"

"Well… maybe we can help you get a message through," Wally said.

"Don't joke."

"I'm not. We were talking about it—" Wally gestured at himself and Robin. "—and we think we can rig something together. Follow us!"

Wally was practically pushing the older Robin toward the door (the other Titans refused to go with; claiming they were too tired), but they didn't make it out of the room because the doorway was blocked by a person standing there.

It was Green Arrow. His masked eyes scanned the room, landing on a head of red hair that, like the rest of its body, was trying to sneak out of sight behind the kitchen partition.

"Roy, is that really you?" Green Arrow asked with a bemused smile, making Speedy let out a sharp huff of exasperation at being spotted.

"Your name's Roy?" Jinx blurted out. All of the Titans were staring in surprise, except for their Robin—he didn't even look over.

"Great," Speedy said through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at Green Arrow. "Thanks for revealing my secret ID in front of the villain, Arrow."

"Villain?" Wally asked loudly from by the doorway, looking around the room stupidly like he expected to see Captain Cold or Lex Luthor hiding in a corner.

"Reformed villain, thank you very much," Jinx corrected coolly, and stood up. "Your awkward reunion might be funny to watch," she told Speedy, "but I'm too exhausted."

"Oh!" M'gann bolted upright and flew through the air to follow her, so excited to have new house guests that she babbled away uncontrollably. "I'll show you to your room! Artemis put some of her spare clothes in there for you… I would've given you some but Martian clothing isn't the same as Earthling clothing. That is, if you're from Earth. You never said, so I assumed…"

Jinx double-backed swiftly to fetch the ice pack she'd left on the coffee table. "On second thought, I'll need this. Feel a headache coming on."

 _A former villain?_ thought Artemis. _And everyone's just okay with that?_

The other Titans seemed to be. Raven's face was blank and impassive as she, too, headed off to bed. The older Robin didn't seem to care about it much, either. He left the room, and, although Wally and Robin seemed to want to stay and watch Green Arrow deal with another rebellious ex-protégée, the two of them hurried after him.

"If you're still going by Speedy," Green Arrow said to the alternate Roy, "does that mean—?"

"No," said Speedy.

"So, you're mad at me, too?"

"On and off."

"What about right now?"

"On. Who is she?" Speedy jerked his thumb at Artemis, his nose wrinkled as though she was a disgusting creature, like a slug.

"I'm his protégée," Artemis informed him snippily. "Have been since your little hissy fit. Name's Artemis."

"Yeah, but who are you?"

"She is Green Arrow's niece," said Kaldur, and he seemed to immediately regret getting involved by offering information when Speedy turned and gave him a long stare.

"Don't be crazy," said Speedy, then he looked at Green Arrow accusingly. "You don't have a niece."

"Alternate dimension, remember?" Artemis reminded him, butting in. "Things are different here. Somethings, I guess I should say, because you not liking me sure isn't anything new."

"You shot me in the arm," Speedy said, his voice rising as he threw his hands up in the air in anger. "Of course I don't like you!"

"Stop being a wuss. I barely nicked you," Artemis said, crossing her arms in defense. "Besides, I didn't do it on purpose. I was trying to pin your sleeve to the wall, but you were far away and it was dark—"

"Newsflash: I don't have sleeves." He held out his arms in front of him, showing how they were completely bare.

"I saw fabric moving," Artemis said, sticking by her story. Because she had seen it; she was certain.

"Weren't you carrying Raven?" Beast Boy asked Speedy from the sofa. "Could've been her cloak."

"Yeah," admitted Speedy reluctantly, "but…"

"See? I was right," Artemis said with a smug smirk.

"I do see," Speedy said. "I see that I was replaced by a girl who can't even shoot straight!"

"I'll show you how straight I can shoot! And this time I really will be aiming for skin."

"Good, because with your record you'll end up missing me entirely."

Green Arrow looked like he was considering sneaking away quietly, rather than risk trying to intervene. So did everyone else.

oOo

—Teen Titans : Beast Boy—

Beast Boy didn't think he was ever going to get up from this sofa. Never, ever.

But then again… that was an awesomely large TV on the wall. And there was a remote control on the DVD cabinet, just out of reach, which might be for the TV. He wondered whether an alternate universe would have the same TV shows as his own. If it did; cool. If it didn't; also cool. (But what if he got hooked on a series that wasn't finished and he had to go back to his dimension without ever seeing how it ended? What then? How would he survive?)

He somehow managed to peel himself off of the sofa—it was the most difficult thing he'd ever done in his life—and snatched up the remote. When he turned around to sit down again, four people were standing just behind the sofa, looking straight at him. Superboy-the-clone-of-Superman, Aqualad-but-not-Aqualad, Call-me-Megan, and their robot babysitter. Artemis, Speedy, and Green Arrow had left to talk (yell) elsewhere a while ago, leaving the living room a lot quieter and free from shouting.

"Umm," Beast Boy said, glancing down at the remote in his hand. Had he done something bad? Was he supposed to ask permission?

"The Doom Patrol has not yet been informed of your presence here," said the robot—he had a name that Beast Boy couldn't remember; 'Red Something'—in metallic tones. "Until now, all information pertaining to this inter-dimensional situation has been kept strictly within the Justice League. We—"

"We want to know if you want us to call them for you?" Megan finished with a friendly smile.

"No," Beast Boy said quickly. "No, I shouldn't talk to them. Don't even tell them I'm here. Please don't?"

"We will respect your wishes," Aqualad said. "But perhaps you should give it some thought. Remember, it is your decision, and no one else's."

Oh. Oh. Beast Boy understood suddenly. They thought that Robin was ordering him around and telling him what to do. Which Robin wouldn't do—not for something like this.

"It's not like that at all. It is my decision." Taking a deep breath, Beast Boy tried to think of the best way to explain it without rambling. "See, back when I was with the Doom Patrol I thought it was the greatest thing ever and that I'd always be on that team. They were my family, y'know? They still are, and I go see them sometimes, but things are kind of different now because I left and now I have the Teen Titans. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally happy with being a Titan, and I wouldn't change anything at all. But I… I don't want him to think there's a deadline, or… or an expiry date. Maybe he's meant to be where he is his entire life. And if that's what he wants, then great."

They were staring at Beast Boy with raised eyebrows (except the robot guy). He must've rambled too much. Oops. He looked down at the remote control and fumbled with the buttons nervously to test it out, only to end up dropping it on the floor and having to pick it back up, flushed from embarrassment.

"That is very… wise," the Aqualad said finally, giving Beast Boy an impressed smile.

Beast Boy blinked. "Dude, really? Huh." No one had ever called him 'wise' before.

"Is that the same reason Robin—" Superboy started asking.

"Stop, stop, stop," said Beast Boy frantically, trying not to be scared at the way Superboy frowned at him for interrupting. If Superboy was lying about not having heat vision, then he could totally fry him on the spot. "I mean it. I can't answer questions about that, okay? It's Robin's business, and he'll get mad at me. So, like, don't ask me about him. Just… don't. Please?"

They didn't. Instead Aqualad went to send a message to the Justice League, and Megan offered Beast Boy some cookies, and Superboy helped him figure out the TV remote.

oOo

—The Team : Robin—

"What?" asked Other Robin for the fifteenth time.

The three of them—both Robins and Wally—were in the mission room, surrounded by floating holographic computer screens that cast blue light and lent the room an aquarium feel. Wally was trying to explain his theories behind this 'crossing dimensions' situation, seldom dropping below three hundred words per minute. And the majority of those words were many-syllabic science terms.

"Slower and simpler, KF," Robin said.

"Fine. I was saying," Wally told Other Robin, "that you're not from an alternate dimension or a parallel universe!"

"Then, what?" asked Other Robin. (Sixteen times, Robin noted.) "Alternate universe?"

"Parallel dimension?" Robin guessed.

"No. You're from a different plane of reality!" announced Wally, then he frowned at Robin. "And, 'parallel dimension'? Really? That's just stupid."

"Is there any difference?" Other Robin asked, exasperated. "I mean, isn't a different plane of reality the same thing as a parallel universe?"

Wally had a lot to say on that subject—the short answer, from what Robin could deduce, was yes but no—jumping from multiverse theory, to infinite worlds, to the oddity it was that Other Robin was older yet the exact same person with the same DNA as their Robin, to dimensional rifts.

Other Robin had to wait for Wally to stop and take a breath before he could get a word in edgewise, and that word was: "What?" (Seventeen.)

"You're not exactly from an alternate dimension, but you did travel through a different dimension in order to get to this plane of reality."

"What?" (Eighteen.)

"How did you even get here if you didn't figure this stuff out?"

"Cyborg figured it out for us… I guess he dumbed it down. A lot." Other Robin gave a sharp sigh, his forehead creasing in annoyance. He didn't seem to enjoy being clueless. "Where did you learn all of this?" he asked Wally and Robin. "Take a class in parallel universe theory?"

"Nah," said Wally carelessly, "most of it's from sci-fi books and TV shows."

"You're kidding, right?" Other Robin asked, looking perturbed. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Mostly," Wally assured him, only making Other Robin look more distressed. "Don't panic, all right? I know it all seems confusing, but keep in mind that this kind of science is uncharted territory. There aren't really rules to it, or not rules that we can comprehend yet. It's all like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly... universe-y—"

"Really, KF? Really?" Robin groaned at his friend's bad taste in jokes. "He's still kidding," he told Other Robin, who was looking back and forth at the two of them in confusion.

"Can you make him stop?" Other Robin asked.

"Okay! I'm serious now, I promise," Wally assured him. "Down to business. Remember— Oh, be right back." The speedster zipped away in a streak of yellow and red, returning before the air had a chance to settle. "Remember these?"

Wally was holding up one of the tiny inter-dimensional transmitters from the utility belt they'd confiscated from Other Robin after capturing him in this same room. A couple of the devices had been brought back here from the Batcave so that Robin and Wally could run tests on the unknown technology in the labs here, by themselves, as practice.

"Yes, I remember," said Other Robin angrily. "It belongs to me."

"Not anymore," Wally replied breezily. "We were analyzing it this week, and we isolated the frequency it sends out to communicate with your plane of reality."

"Which means we can try and re-connect with them," Robin said. "Doing it from scratch would be impossible, because there's infinitely many dimensions… universes… you know what I mean. And we can't establish communications ourselves—they have to be trying to call us as well."

Other Robin was looking more and more relieved by the second. Relieved by the hopeful news, and that he could follow what they were saying now that they weren't deliberately trying to confuse him.

"We'll send out a signal." Wally tossed the transmitter up in the air as he spoke, catching it in his palm on its way down. "Kind of like casting a net, and then we just have to wait for the bite and reel it in. Piece of cake. Might be waiting a day or two until we're patched, though."

Robin was going to point out how terribly Wally mixed up that fishing metaphor—are you talking about a net or a hook?—but chose to just let go and roll with it, his fingers flying over the holographic keyboard as he set to work on the technological side of things. Wally did the science-speak, Robin did most of the actual work. That's how it always went.

"I still can't believe I'm not on your team," Wally grumbled to Other Robin when he got bored of looking at the computer screens. "You guys must be really lame. I bet I'm off having way more exciting adventures, right?"

More exciting than traveling through dimensions? thought Robin to himself, while his counterpart answered Wally with a shrug.

"C'mon, you've gotta know something," Wally said (almost whined). "Doesn't he call and tell you?"

"Not really, no," answered Other Robin.

"Let me get this straight," said Wally. "You don't talk to him. You're not friends? But, what about when you were working with Batman, and he was working with Flash? You must've—"

Other Robin crossed his arms and said, "We didn't see each other much. Different schedules."

"Oh," said Wally disappointedly. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "I didn't rage-quit working with Flash, did I? I would never—"

"Can you stop asking me questions?" Other Robin requested curtly. "Please?"

"Just tell me that me and Flash didn't end up like—"

"Like me and Batman?" asked Other Robin, his tone carrying a sharp edge of warning.

"I was going to say like Roy and GA, but…"

"No. I don't know. It's all fine, I think." Other Robin's answer was vague but somehow reassuring—Wally was lucky to be getting an answer from him at all. "Stop asking me questions," Other Robin said again.

"So…" Wally began after a few tense seconds. His curiosity knew no bounds. "You pulled a Speedy, huh?"

"What?" asked Other Robin. (Nineteen.)

"You went all 'rage against the mentor' and left Batman," Wally clarified. "What did he do after you left? Did he get a new sidekick— I mean, partner?"

"Pfft. He would never do that," Robin said with confidence immediately, answering before Other Robin could (because oh god what if Batman did get a new partner?), like if he denied it first then he could choose the truth. "I'm irreplaceable."

"That's what I thought," Other Robin said quietly, "but he found a way."

Robin thought his heart had stopped, only to start up again, racing at a pace twice as fast as normal. "What?" he asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"He got a dog." And Other Robin muttered something about Batman getting exactly what he wanted—someone to take orders unconditionally. Wally and Robin shared a look, an eyebrow raised each.

Robin almost laughed in relief. "But he doesn't have another Robin, or something like that?"

Other Robin took his usual pause to think of whether to reveal sensitive information, causing Robin's heart to start thumping rapidly in dread once more. "No, he doesn't," said Other Robin finally.

Robin wondered if that was a lie. He wondered how much of everything Other Robin had said were lies.

"You know what?" Robin said slowly. "That's so not fair… I want a dog!" At that moment, the zeta tube hummed to life and Batman materialized, walking into the room briskly, his cape sweeping along behind him. Robin gave his mentor his best pleading look. "Batman, can we get a—"

"No."

"But I haven't even—"

"No." Batman looked over at Wally. "Kid Flash, I was told to inform you that you're wanted at home."

What he really meant was, You're not wanted here.

Wally said his goodbyes hastily and sped off through the zeta tube, seemingly happy to leave the cave and find some fresh air away from the tense atmosphere between Batman and the Robins.

"We need to talk," Batman said when he was gone. "The three of us."


	20. Chapter 20

**.**

 **Chapter Twenty**

 _—The Team: Robin—_

"Computer, secure room," Batman said clearly.

"Room secured."

They were in the soundproof conference room, the one with the comfy green chairs. It was beginning to become a room that Robin disliked, reminding him of fresh emotional stress and the guilt that came with doubting his friends' loyalty. It was a room used for therapy sessions and secret meetings. For talking behind people's backs.

And now, for private discussions between him, his interdimensional twin, and Batman.

The two Robins were seated in the two chairs, facing each other. There was no hiding or running away now. Nothing between them. No immediate mission to focus on.

Robin remembered Bruce's warning from days ago. It had been right on the dot. Already, he'd found some things he didn't like. He was thankful that Batman was there, standing beside him, because he didn't want to face Other Robin alone. He felt like eventually he would need to talk to him one-on-one, but not tonight. Not while the news was still fresh and stinging like a slap across the face.

He still couldn't believe it. After everything Bruce had done for him, and everything they'd been through together… How could any version of him bear so much resentment towards Bruce?

But there it was, clear as day, in the way Other Robin tensed in Batman's presence and got that small, angry wrinkle on his forehead when he had to speak to Batman, or when Batman was speaking to him like he was now.

"Convince me," was all Batman said.

Other Robin seemed to take this as a challenge. He straightened up in his chair and evenly met the gaze of Batman, the human lie detector. "My name is Dick Grayson. I grew up in Haly's Circus, as part of the Flying Graysons until…my parents were killed when the wires were sabotaged by Tony Zucco." The words came out strained.

Before Robin had thought that Other Robin looked younger when he smiled, but wearing that pensive, downcast expression made him look younger still. Robin knew that, like him, Other Robin was remembering that terrible night when the Flying Graysons performed for the final time.

The wires slipping and becoming slack, his mother's head whipping around so she could look at him one last time because she knew, and the wide eyes, the screams, the— the—

Gasps. Too-bright spotlights shining hot in the tent and illuminating a scene that would appear in his nightmares for the rest of his life, and make him burrow into his blankets every year on the anniversary, hiding and shutting his eyes tightly to try to block it out. It was branded deep into his memory.

This Other Robin, this other Dick Grayson, had been through the same thing. And it made it worse, so much worse, for Robin to see his own grief mirrored back at him.

That old anguish was clawing away inside Robin's chest insistently, refusing to be ignored, and he clamped his mouth shut tightly. He didn't dare breathe because he couldn't trust his next breath to not turn into a sob.

There was a quiet rustling of Batman's cape, and then a large, steady hand was placed on Robin's back. Batman wasn't the most affectionate guardian. Pats on the shoulder, occasional hair-ruffles—those small gestures of comfort meant a lot. The claws tearing away at Robin's lungs and ribs eased slightly. He tried taking a small breath. It was shaky and hitched in his throat, but the next one didn't.

He was fine. Batman was there, so he was fine. He was able to breathe again, able to look up and face Other Robin, feeling a pang of something like sympathy. The older boy looked very alone.

Other Robin cleared his throat and continued, without so much as a tremble in his voice. "I was taken in by Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman. He helped me get justice for their deaths. I became Robin, and defended Gotham City." He paused, seeming unsure of what to say next. "Now I lead a team called the Teen Titans. We came to your universe to round up our villains, who ended up here when a scheme involving a portal meant to bust them out of prison went awry by the portal malfunctioning. Or so we thought. It turned out to be a scheme masterminded by a criminal named Slade, who was intent on coming to this world. We need to stop him before he does something terrible with the help of your Injustice League."

Batman watched Other Robin for what seemed like an eternity. Then, his hands went to his cowl. He pulled it off, letting it hang down the back of his neck, and became Bruce Wayne. Not Batman. Bruce.

Following his mentor's lead, Robin peeled his own domino mask from his face carefully, until his eyes were uncovered and he was just Dick Grayson.

Other Robin—well, now he was the only Robin in the room—stared in slight shock, and then his face fell flat, with a snide little twist to his mouth.

"Nice to see that some things are constant," he said. "Still as paranoid and distrustful as ever, hey Bruce?"

"You're the only one here still wearing a mask, so I don't think you're one to talk," Dick retorted, and he was about to say a lot more but Bruce put a hand on his shoulder briefly, asking him to quiet down without words.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked Robin.

"Is this some kind of test?" Robin asked suspiciously. "Because I'm done with you and your—"

"It's not a test. What's the problem?"

"Your eyes are the wrong colour," Robin told Bruce. It was almost an accusation. "They're supposed to be blue. Coloured contacts?"

"They're not blue," said Bruce, while Robin scanned his patient face as though searching for a bluff, a hint of deceit. "I don't know what to else to tell you."

It was the truth. Bruce's eyes were brown. Dick looked up at Bruce's troubled, deep brown eyes, focused on Robin, and tried to imagine them as a different colour.

If Bruce had blue eyes, then the two of them would look a lot like father and son, wouldn't they? Blue eyes, dark hair… Dick wasn't sure how to feel about that.

In his chair, Robin was fidgeting, drumming his fingers on the arm rests. He looked embarrassed for over-reacting.

"This room is completely secure," Bruce told him. "It's safe to take your mask off."

Robin brought his hands to his mask, but only to press the edges down, like he was making sure it was still sticking snugly against his face. "I like keeping it on."

"Do you always wear it?" Dick asked, remembering how surprised the Titans had been to hear Speedy's real name, and wondering just how secret this Robin's secret identity was.

"Yes," said Robin flatly. "Mostly. It's not a big deal. It's just easier this way."

Dick blinked. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Easier. Right." Easier to keep the mask on, and leave behind Bruce and his civilian identity to go live in a T-shaped tower across the country. So much easier. "You gave up on being Dick Grayson."

"No. I— We set up an alibi. I'm at 'boarding school'. And when I'm older, maybe I'll…" Robin trailed off and shrugged carelessly. "Who knows? I'm fine with things the way they are now." He frowned at the glare Dick was sending his way. "I don't have to explain my decisions to you."

You can't just pack away your identity in a box and take it out again when you feel like it! Dick wanted to scream as he gripped the armrests of his chair in tense anger. He was mad at this other version of him for screwing up his life by quitting working with Bruce and being a Grayson, and ashamed of himself because, on days when he felt overwhelmed from juggling schoolwork and hero work, he would daydream about how much simpler everything would be if he could abandon everything but the adrenaline that came with being Robin. The adventure and sense of accomplishment—sometimes that was all he wanted.

So maybe he understood where this Robin was coming from. But it seemed like too childish an idea to put into practice, like when kids ran away from home because they wanted to join the circus. It was dumb, and— and it couldn't possibly work, so Dick didn't understand why Robin was standing by his choices without any sign of regret.

"You grew up," Bruce said to Robin, and both Dick and Robin raised their eyebrows, startled at the acceptance in his words. "You wanted to become your own hero. There's nothing wrong with that. I do think you're too young to start living on your own, but I don't know enough about the situation, or your world, to judge." Bruce looked down to see Dick gaping up at him in disbelief. "This isn't much different from you taking a stand to start your own team," he told Dick, then turned back to Robin. "What I'm concerned about is that you left on bad terms. I want to know what happened, and why you're angry with him. There isn't anything that could make Bruce stop caring about you."

"There is no Bruce," said Robin. "Not anymore. There's only Batman."

"You're exaggerating."

"Not much."

"Dick," Bruce said to Robin in that stern voice he used when he noticed that somebody had been messing with the Batmobile or had eaten an entire batch of Alfred's cookies. Then, "Richard. Tell me what happened."

Robin didn't flinch, didn't even react at the sound of his real name, like it had no influence over him. "You keep talking like it was one big, singular incident. It wasn't. Things went sour—I don't know why. We had arguments, lots of them, and I'm not going to tell you about them."

"I don't see why all this secrecy is needed," said Dick. "It's not like you're from the future."

"No, I'm not. But in some ways it feels like I am. It's easy to forget that." Robin shook his head. "You wouldn't understand, anyway."

"Who could understand better than us?" Dick asked angrily.

"Anybody! Anybody. You might look like us and have the same names, but you're not me, and you're not him. So stop trying to understand. It's not going to help you." Robin looked straight at Dick, talking only to him. "You seem to have a good thing going here, with your team and Batman," he told him. "So do you really want to hear about every little fight I had with Batman? Why?"

"Because I don't want to fight with Bruce."

"Then don't," Robin said, exasperated like it was the simplest solution in the world. He stood suddenly. "I'm not comfortable telling you anything more. We're done here."

Dick needed to know the details, because what if the cause of the rift was the exact same thing that Dick had confessed to Black Canary in this very room, when he was sitting in this same chair? What if this Robin had come to the same realization, and when he told Bruce that he didn't want to follow in his footsteps and put on the cowl one day, Bruce had been angry or worse, disappointed?

He needed to know. He could learn from this Robin's mistakes. He could tell Bruce a different way, if he only knew. Dick thought he might burst from so much anxiety and questions that he couldn't ask because Bruce was in the room and Robin was already turning towards the door to leave.

"Wait," Bruce said, and Robin took one more step before obliging. "I won't ask you about your unresolved conflict with your mentor, but you need to stop reflecting it onto me. I'm not the same Batman, or Bruce, as the one you know. And that goes for the Justice League and the Team as well. We're trying to help. I want less hostility from you."

Robin made a noise that sounded like grudging agreement, if only for the reason that he probably knew agreeing meant he could leave this room.

"And, you should know that you have a meeting with the Justice League tomorrow," Bruce informed him. Robin gave a curt nod without looking back.

"Bruce…" Dick said, after the door had closed. "I won't be like him. I promise I won't—"

Bruce knelt down so they were face-to-face and placed his hands heavily on Dick's shoulders. "No. You don't need to promise anything. I'm the one who should. I don't know if I can promise not to let Batman take over. There are days when it feels like…" Bruce stopped there, unable to explain. He didn't need to. Dick knew what days—nights, actually—he was talking about. Nights when it was one crime after another crawling out of the bottomless pit that was Gotham, or when Bruce stayed in the cave until dawn trying to pin together clues, consumed with his need to solve a case.

"But," said Bruce, his eyes sincere. And brown—not blue, brown—like they always were. Dick was clinging to every small difference like it meant something. "I promise I'll try not to."

They weren't the same Batman and Robin as in the other world, so they'd be okay, right?

Even though Bruce told him not to, Dick was making a promise, silently. He was promising both himself and Bruce that he wouldn't rest until he found out the truth, using all his skills of deduction, investigation, and observation, with no regard toward that Robin's personal secrets or privacy. He would find out so that he could never let it happen here.

oOo

—?—

"The sidekicks arrived sooner than expected. Pity. I was hoping to capture the archer."

"Oooh, were you going to add him to your collection? And people think I'm weird."

"I would have sent more security, but it was supposed to look like a simple kidnapping, and I didn't want the heroes to become suspicious."

"I want these Titans out of the picture. They were wild cards before, and now that they have joined forces with the Justice League, that further complicates the situation for us. To start, we need to learn more about them. Fortunately, we have an agent that can tell us more with a little persuasion."

"Restoring her memories may make her less willing to work with us, and it's possible we'll need her to draw out the Titans, so perhaps some programming is in order?"

"It can be arranged. I have people for that."

"It seems I was correct when I said she would be of use. Between that information and our inside source, we should have no need to worry."

"Not as reassuring as information from one of the Titans themselves, but it will have to do."

"Some good news is that Deathstroke said he is prepared to begin the first phase of his—"

"You're stupid if you think he is who he says he is. I told you—he's not the real Deathstroke. He's lying! I can tell. He's not from around here. He's from another world, like those nasty new kids!"

"It makes little difference. We need all the people that we can get. And, if he is from their world, he will have experience dealing with the Titans. Working with us could all be part of a plan to exact revenge on them, which will work well for the Light. As long as he doesn't double-cross us, I don't see anything wrong having him work under us."

"It isn't as though we're allowing him into our inner circle. That would be foolish."

"His skills are valuable to have on our side. Before Deathstroke disappeared, I approached him with an employment opportunity. I didn't reveal any details, of course, although I have a feeling that he knew more about us than he was letting on. I simply hinted at future assignments. I know we have the Shadows for our more hands-on work, but the more variety to throw the heroes off of our trail, the better."

"That is not the type of help he is offering, however… The plans he shared with us are far more complicated than simple assassination. He clearly has his own motives."

"Doesn't everyone? How can any of our agents share our motives, considering how few are even aware of the… range of the organization they're working for? They want money, they want power, and we'll give it to them as long as they give results and keep their mouths shut."

"Even so… I do understand the benefits of this venture. A test run of sorts will be helpful to assure that our true project goes smoothly, and the resulting distraction can let us advance our other operations… but, if or when it fails, the heroes may grow wise, and we will lose the element of surprise."

"We can arrange it so that we're not the ones to take the fall. Then, when they're relaxing because they think they've won, they won't be expecting it when we strike again."

"Really, how can we say no to both a test run and a scapegoat to blame it on if it ends badly?"

"As for his demands… They are… interesting, but I suppose they aren't unreasonable."

"Agreed. Not only will he provide an essential service for us, succeed or fail, but if he succeeds then his own goal will work in our favor in the long run, as well. Two birds with one stone."


	21. Chapter 21

**.**

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

 _—The Team: Robin—_

 _—Saturday—_

Robin was sent ahead to Mount Justice, alone, because Batman had some quick business to take care of on the Watchtower. The Justice League was pulling out all the stops to track down Slade and coming up empty-handed. The Team wanted to help—had nearly begged to help—but Batman put his foot down.

The only consolation was that Batman's answer had been a 'not now' and not an outright 'no'.

Dick had barely spoken to Bruce since they returned to the Batcave last night. Bruce had gone straight to the computer and started typing, and was still there when Dick came down that morning. One all-nighter wasn't enough to make Dick worried—this was Bruce—but this wasn't the first all-nighter Bruce had pulled this week. Or even the second.

M'gann, Conner, and Kaldur were eating breakfast in the kitchen when Robin walked in. He was smoothly integrated into their mental conversation—it was becoming natural for all of them. This morning it felt like a bother, though. They were discussing the Titans, last night's mission, and Slade, all things that Robin had fallen asleep thinking of and was tired of hearing about, so he mostly avoided the corner of his mind that his teammates were occupying.

"No, thanks," he answered distractedly when M'gann offered him some scrambled eggs. He was leaning against the countertop, facing the living room so that he could watch the Titans out of the corner of his eye. They had claimed the sofa as their territory.

"Check it out, Raven," Beast Boy was saying. "I'm Superman." He pointed at his shirt he was wearing, one of Conner's that had shrunk in the wash. His hero uniform was having a rip in the arm stitched up courtesy of a less-than-thrilled Jinx, who seemed to have some skill with a needle. She was the only other Titan in civilian clothes—some of Artemis's that hung just a bit too loose on her frame.

"Of course you are," Raven said sarcastically. She was holding a steaming mug of tea. Beside her, Speedy was clicking through TV channels with the remote and making unimpressed noises at what he saw on-screen.

There was only one Titan missing.

Other Robin decided to grace them with his presence five minutes later. He slowed when M'gann, Kaldur, Conner, and Robin glanced over at him, then frowned and said an awkward, "Good morning."

"Where have you been?" Robin asked after Other Robin poured himself a glass of orange juice, accepted a couple pieces of toast from M'gann, and sat down to eat at the far end of the counter, as far away from the others as possible.

"I wanted to go out and get some fresh air. I didn't realize that we were locked inside."

"Going outside isn't a great idea," Robin said. "It's storming really bad out there." There were thunderstorms from here to Metropolis, from what Robin had seen on the weather channel before Speedy moved on to Saturday morning cartoons.

Semi-civil small talk about the weather was a good start, Robin supposed. He didn't have to worry about any new topics of conversation, because Batman was looming in the doorway.

Robin never got tired of watching other people's reactions when Batman entered a room. Straightening of postures, flinches, various nervous tics… He felt a little smug as he leisurely observed the other teens in the room, until he noticed that Other Robin was doing the exact same thing.

They locked eyes through their masks for a split second, then both looked away just as abruptly. _Close one_ , Robin thought. For a moment there, they almost had something in common.

Batman had a rolled-up newspaper tucked under his arm. Robin was confused. Was it to whack Other Robin on the head with, if he started mouthing off? The newspaper was tossed on the countertop in front of Other Robin. It was that morning's edition of the Daily Planet.

"Page five," Batman said gruffly.

Other Robin looked at him with incredulity, and then started flipping pages. Everyone watched as Other Robin's eyes widened at the correct article. He mouthed the words as he read.

Suddenly, his head dropped onto the counter with a thud. "You've got to be kidding me," he groaned into the news-type.

Robin, overcome by curiosity, tugged a corner of the page out from under Other Robin's face so he could see the article. He became aware of eyes peering over his shoulder, reading along with him.

It was a small article, with a blurry, cell-phone quality picture of Other Robin running through Metropolis. Robin read. Then he laughed. "Wow, look at all the names the witnesses are calling you! Impostor, fanboy, mental patient… And they got an actual psychologist's opinion! Look at all the names she's calling you!"

"You need to get me a copy," Speedy told Batman.

"Me too," piped up Beast Boy.

"Me three," said Jinx. "Make it a few copies."

"Who're you going to send them to?" asked Speedy as he flopped back onto the sofa. "Your HIVE buddies?"

To Speedy's visible surprise, she nodded. "I know we're not on the best terms, but something like this needs to be shared. They'll get a laugh out of it."

"What?" Robin cried in outrage, still reading. He turned to his mentor. "'Batman and Robin declined comment'? When were we asked to comment? I have so many comments!"

Batman gave him that expressionless look that would have been an amused smile if there weren't others around. Robin turned his eyes back down to the article, and poked Other Robin in the arm. "Hey, did you notice who the reporter was?"

Other Robin lifted his head to glance at the by-line. He groaned again.

The second good surprise of that morning was Roy—their Roy, Red Arrow—walking in right when the article's humor started wearing off. Batman had told Robin that Roy was invited to the JL meeting because of his previous involvement with the Titans, but he hadn't known that Roy was coming to Mount Justice beforehand. Roy didn't visit as often as any of them would like.

Robin and Kaldur smiled and greeted their friend warmly. Roy grunted in return, his gaze immediately landing on Speedy.

The two archers eyed each other warily for a moment, then seemed to come to a wordless agreement. Red Arrow unslung the quiver and bow he'd brought and dropped them on the floor by the sofa.

"Heard you lost your equipment," he told Speedy.

Grinning, Speedy reached over to pick up the quiver and sort through it.

"There'll be time for that later," Red Arrow said dismissively. "You're already familiar with some of my arrows—" He shot his interdimensional twin a dangerous glare. "—so I don't need to give you the specs on all of them. But we've still got plenty to discuss." With that ominous statement, he turned away from Speedy and asked Batman, "Are we going to the Watchtower?" Some eagerness that he was trying to hide slipped its way into his voice.

"The meeting—"

Batman was cut off by a startling smash. Everyone whirled around to the source of the noise, and saw that Raven had dropped her mug. It had bounced off the sofa cushions and fell to the floor, spilling tea and shattering into a dozen sharp pieces.

"I'm sorry," said Raven, her eyebrows knitted together. M'gann was already floating to the spill with a dishcloth. "For a second, I thought I sensed… I'm not sure." She shook her head. "I must just be tired."

"Considering the experience you went through yesterday, it is understandable if you are not fully recovered," Kaldur said kindly. "Quite a strain must have been put on your powers. No one will mind if you stay at Mount Justice rather than attend the meeting."

"Yeah, it's no big deal if you want to stay behind," said Robin. "JL meetings are super boring."

He knew from all the times he'd bugged the meetings that Leaguers spent a lot of time having long, cheesy discussions about duty, responsibility, and the heavy burdens they carried as Earth's protectors, and blah blah blah. But the last time he listened in he thought he heard Flash cracking up in quiet laughter, so maybe his bugging devices weren't as secret as he'd hoped.

"If Raven's not going, I'm not going," said Beast Boy quickly.

"If we're suddenly allowed to not go, then I'm definitely not going," Jinx stated.

Other Robin stared at his teammates in disbelief. "Guys—"

Speedy stood up and interrupted him. "Maybe it's better this way," he said, clapping a hand on Robin's shoulder. "We do have the most experience dealing with Leaguers."

Other Robin hesitated, looking around the room at how M'gann, Conner, and Kaldur still calmly sitting in the kitchen in civilian clothes, making no move to leave and go to the meeting, staying behind just like three of the Titans. Robin could practically hear the gears turning in Other Robin's head as he figured it out.

Divide and conquer. Take away the stingy leader and get a chance to talk to some of the others at length.

"I know what you're doing," Other Robin said, turning on Batman. "It's not going to work." He told his team strictly, "Everyone… Best. Behaviour."

Beast Boy yawned. "Robin, the last time you said that was when we went to Japan. And if you remember what happened, then you know you're not one to talk."

"Yeah, didn't you get arrested for murder or something?" Jinx asked carelessly, without looking up from her sewing.

"Murder?" Batman asked Other Robin, in a voice that seemed to make the temperature in the room drop drastically.

"I was framed!" Other Robin explained frantically.

"Murder?" Robin demanded, unable to process the idea.

"Oh, no, it wasn't like that!" said Beast Boy. "See, the guy he killed was actually this character made out of ink and not a person at all, and it was this big set-up to keep us out of the way so this evil policeman could take over Tokyo with more ink-people. But then we took care of everything and it rained and it all went back to normal." Then, he added, "We got medals!" Like that was all that mattered.

"Your universe doesn't make much sense, does it?" M'gann asked.

"None. You don't know the half of it. If you knew how much sense our universe doesn't make, you'd...you'd..." Beast Boy trailed off, at a loss for how to finish that sentence. "Like, one time we were in TV!" he blurted out.

"You mean, on TV," said Conner.

Raven sighed. "Sadly, no, he doesn't."

Other Robin gave his teammates one last warning glare before Batman led both Robins and both Roys out of the room to the zeta tubes.

When Robin emerged on the other side of the zeta beam he was somewhere familiar: the library in the Hall of Justice. The lighting was dim, there were no tourists in the observation gallery, and the place was so silent that it had to be closed for the day. Even the security cameras by the ceiling were dead.

"We're not meeting in the Watchtower?" Speedy asked, looking around him. "Bummer. It has a cool view."

"You've been to the Watchtower?" Red Arrow asked enviously, stopping in his tracks and staring at his counterpart.

"Sure. A few times. Like, once when we had to give a report to the League after taking down this worldwide corporation of villains. No big deal."

"No. Big. Deal," Red Arrow repeated through gritted teeth.

oOo

They were in a secret, sub-level meeting room that Robin hadn't known existed. It was surprisingly nice—as nice as any of the rooms in Mount Justice. There were gaps around the large, shiny conference table from Leaguers not in attendance, off on the hunt for the Titans' villains or fighting crime. It was hard to get them all in one place at one time.

There was no Zatara, no Lanterns, no Hawks, no Martian Manhunter… But Superman was there, and so was Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Aquaman…

Bored, Robin rested his chin in his hand and drummed the fingers of his other hand on the table. The meeting was off to an unpromising start, just the JL trying to get a list of where the Titans had been during their time in this world, and exactly what they'd been doing. And getting even those dull details was like prying teeth. More often than not, Other Robin would answer with, "No comment."

Robin looked over at Red Arrow. Most of the enthusiasm the older teen had about attending a League meeting seemed to have evaporated since he'd seen who he was sitting beside: a thirteen-year-old, and his old mentor that he was still on shaky terms with.

Robin had stashed a scrap of paper and a pen in his utility belt in case of boredom. After some stealthy writing, he passed the note to Red Arrow.

 _If a DIScussion is when everyone talks and shares info, does that make this a CUSSION? The Titans aren't answering any questions!_

Red Arrow read it, frowned in annoyance, and scribbled a fast, messy answer while looking up and trying to pay attention to what was being said around him. He balled up the paper and flicked it onto Robin's lap.

 _DONT KNOW DONT CARE._

Robin responded thusly:

:'(

Red Arrow didn't want to take the note again. Robin had to poke him in the leg with the pen a few times before he relented. When he read it, Robin could tell he was rolling his eyes under his mask. But Red Arrow was a good sport and wrote a reply.

 _So instead of DIScussing… the JL's CUSSING?_

It took a lot of effort for Robin to keep from grinning. That must have resulted in him making an odd face, because the Flash was looking at him curiously. Only when no eyes were upon him did Robin risk writing an answer.

 _Bad heroes! Bad!_

 _that means ollie = hypocrite for telling me not to swear_.

Robin nearly laughed. He had forgotten how great Roy could be when he wasn't busy being angry at the world.

Without warning, a dark-gloved hand reached over and plucked the note out of Robin's grasp. Holding the paper out of sight under the table, Batman read it surreptitiously and didn't react. He simply folded it in half and passed it back.

Robin took that as a cue to pay attention.

"You can't get mad at us for refusing to spill," Speedy was saying. "We're only following your rules."

"Our rules?" asked Superman.

"'Limit interference'," Other Robin stated. "It's standard JLA protocol—your protocol. Not as strict for parallel universes as it is for time travel, but it still applies. Especially when the universes are so similar. Haven't you dealt with anything like this before?"

A few Leaguers raised their eyebrows at this teenager citing protocol at them.

"Can't say we have," Superman said, his patience limitless unlike some of the other adults that were losing theirs. "A bit of time travel, but nothing inter-dimensional to this extent."

Other Robin was struggling to explain. "Say one of you is a traitor in our universe, but not here. If we told you, would you ever be able to look at them the same way again? And if you found out an alternate version of you is a traitor, would you ever be able to trust yourself?"

"One of us is a traitor?" asked the Flash, looking around the table. "Who?"

"It's just an example."

"And if one of us is dead in your world," said Batman, "you wouldn't want the person in question to feel like they have a death sentence hanging over their head."

Other Robin didn't have anything to say to that.

"You should be glad we're good at keeping our mouths shut," Speedy said after a moment. "After all, we know a few of your secrets, too."

"Are you threatening to blackmail the Justice League, young man?" Aquaman asked seriously.

"No, he's not," Other Robin answered for his teammate. He nudged the archer with his elbow. "Right, Speedy?"

"…Right."

oOo

"Best behaviour," Beast Boy echoed. "I dunno why Robin seemed so worried. So what if I like to talk? I'm not a total blabbermouth."

Raven had left the room to go meditate in peace, soon after replaced by Wally and Artemis, leaving Beast Boy and Jinx as the only two Titans among Team members. It made for an incredibly awkward atmosphere as they all watched television and either asked or dodged questions.

Jinx nodded. "And so what if I hold lingering resentment toward Robin for all the times he put me in jail, and the only way I can safely express it is by making fun of him behind his back?" she asked. "I usually know where to draw the line."

Beast Boy and Jinx looked at each other with widened eyes, as though realizing that maybe their leader was right to be worried. Then they shrugged in unison.

"So... what's your team called?" Beast Boy asked the other heroes at the start of the commercial break. "You never told us."

Kaldur blinked. "Pardon me?"

"Your team name! Like, we're the Teen Titans, and the Justice League is the Justice League. What are you called?"

"The Team, I guess," said Conner, shrugging.

"Hmm." Beast Boy stroked his chin, deep in thought. "We could think of a better name. Junior Justice? Little League?"

"We're not a kids' baseball team," grumbled Artemis.

"Sidekick Squad," Jinx said sardonically.

"No, Super Sidekicks!" said Beast Boy.

"We're not sidekicks!" Wally said heatedly. "And why does there have to be alliteration?"

"Justice League doesn't have alliteration," M'gann pointed out. And no one could argue with that.

During a particularly boring commercial, Beast Boy asked the Team, "So... how does your theme song go?"

oOo

Everyone around Robin was playing the blame game—the game where no one ever won.

If you had left us alone and let us do our job, we would have been free to go after Slade sooner…

If you had come to us for help from the beginning and co-operated, we would have been able to work together and take down the villains…

And on and on for what felt like hours. They were all wrong, but they were all too stubborn to admit it. Robin zoned out for a while. He snapped back to attention when the arguing had dwindled and he heard Slade's name being said often.

"You really worked for Deathstroke?" Green Arrow asked Other Robin

"Either I became his apprentice or let my friends die," Other Robin said in a dull voice, his brow furrowing at the recollection. "I made my decision."

"How did you get out of it? Did you call the Justice League, or just Batman?"

"You mean, did I get the adults to bail me out? No. We took care of it ourselves. Slade's had it in for us ever since. Me especially."

"In case you haven't noticed, you're not the only you here," Robin said. It was the first time he'd spoken in a while.

"We need to prevent Slade from getting any leverage, in case he tries to…coerce our Robin," Black Canary said, choosing her words delicately.

Still, Robin frowned, feeling like he was being talked about like he wasn't in the room, sitting right there with them. He wasn't stupid. He wouldn't make mistakes and let himself be coerced into being a criminal like Other Robin. He was better than that. But the League was probably too worried to let him prove it.

"That's one of the reasons why I didn't want any of you to get mixed up in this," said Other Robin. He rubbed at his stress-lined forehead. "But when I think about it, with all his bad experiences with apprentices it's hard to believe he'd want another one. If he does target you in the middle of this," he told Robin, "I'm not sure how much of it would be him wanting a new apprentice and how much would just be his determination to win. He could just want to get back at me."

oOo

"…And then the Justice League showed up," Wally said. "We told them that either they let us be a team, or we were going to do it on our own. And here we are." With a satisfied smile, he looked around the room at each of his teammates. "So, long story short, it was the craziest Fourth of July ever."

Beast Boy shook his head. "No way. It's a great story, but let me tell you about the craziest Fourth of July ever…"

oOo

Wonder Woman had her hands clasped on the table as she calmly observed Speedy and Other Robin. "Perhaps it would be best if we could speak with your Justice League instead, once your communications are working again."

"What for?" asked Speedy, looking genuinely confused.

"They're the ones that sent you on this mission, aren't they?"

"No," Other Robin said. "We sent ourselves."

"You came here without their approval?"

"We don't need their approval. The Teen Titans are completely independent. We're not affiliated with the League."

"You don't work with them?" Green Arrow asked.

"No," Other Robin answered impatiently. He gave a long-suffering sigh, like having to keep explaining this over and over to make the League believe him was sheer torture. "After we deal with something big, they usually want a report, but that's about it."

"But, how can they be okay with you fighting crime on your own?" asked the Flash incredulously. "I mean, you're just kids."

Robin knew that Flash didn't mean it that way. Just like his nephew, he had a talent for saying the wrong thing. It came from speaking before thinking—a speedster trait.

"Kids," Speedy said flatly. He glanced over at his teammate. "Hear that, Robin? We're just kids."

"Kids that established a world-wide network of heroes," said Other Robin.

"Kids that ended HIVE Academy and defeated their psycho, brainwashing, half-robotic headmaster."

"Kids that stopped a maniac from taking over Jump City, several times over."

"Kids that took down an organization consisting of some of the worst bad guys on the face of the planet."

"Kids that reversed the apocalypse."

"But besides all that, just kids," said Speedy, waving a hand airily.

oOo

"…And that's how we beat the Brotherhood of Evil," Beast Boy finished with a proud smile.

"You decided to switch sides right at the end?" Conner asked Jinx. "That's convenient," he muttered.

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Not like I haven't been hearing that for the past year."

"Well, why'd you do it then?" Wally asked, his tone sharp with suspicion.

"Somebody thought I could do better. Really went out on a limb to reach out to me. How rude would I be if I didn't give the hero thing a shot after that?"

"Who was it?"

She swiped a finger and thumb across her mouth in a 'lips sealed' gesture.

oOo

"Red X isn't our primary concern right now," said Other Robin. They'd talked about Slade, and that Rouge lady, and now the topic had changed to the masked thief. "I wouldn't say he's harmless, but compared to Slade he's just an annoyance."

"He's in my city," Batman said tersely.

"Then you deal with him." The corners of Other Robin's lips twitched when Batman stiffened and didn't respond. "You can't catch him, can you?"

"And you can?" Robin asked, defensive. He'd faced off against Red X in the couple of patrols he took that week with Batman, and it hadn't ended well. It was tough to apprehend someone who could teleport away at a moment's notice.

But Red X was okay, for a criminal. Not twisted, sadistic, or particularly violent like most of Gotham's villains. He was more of a Catwoman type. Causing a bit of trouble, stealing things, messing with the Dynamic Duo for kicks. Earlier that week he'd taken the tires off the Batmobile and hid them in the nearby alleyways, just as a prank. Robin would rather fight him than the Joker, that was for sure.

"Robin could probably catch him, yeah," said Speedy. "He knows more about the Red X suit's tech than anyone, considering he made it, and used to be the one wearing it."

Other Robin let out a frustrated breath when faced with the Justice League's surprised looks. "I was undercover, trying to get more information about Slade. I didn't tell my team; it went too far; I was stupid; it was a mistake," he said quickly. He rattled off an explanation about how the suit was stolen and being used by a thief of unknown identity. "And you've already lectured me about it," he told Batman, "so don't bother saying anything."

"Listen," said Superman, "you've put in a lot of hard work trying to fix this accident, and we appreciate it. But after everything you've been through, maybe it would be best if we took over from here."

"I already told you," Other Robin huffed. "It's our job—"

"You should not let your pride stop you from accepting our help," said Aquaman.

"Pride? You think this is pride?" Other Robin asked. He turned to Batman. "Batman, is it pride that makes you refuse help in Gotham?"

"No, it's—"

"Responsibility. Gotham is your responsibility. Only you know how to deal with it. These villains are our responsibility."

"Well, he's definitely your kid, Bats," Green Arrow remarked.

Two thunks of sharp kicks came from under the table, and Green Arrow lurched forward, flinching in pain, while Red Arrow and Black Canary glared daggers at him from either side.

Robin smiled at Red Arrow, and he got a very small, almost minuscule, one in return.

"Can we avoid beating around the bush and get to the real reason you want to bench them?" Red Arrow asked loudly, making Green Arrow wince beside him at the outburst. "It's because of their ages. You think they're kids. Just admit it. If they were Green Arrow and Batman—"

"And we're happily not," Speedy muttered, although not as quietly as he probably thought. Robin could swear he saw Superman smile, just a tiny bit, at that comment.

"—then you wouldn't be giving them such a hard time."

The Leaguers exchanged glances, but none of them came up with a way to argue that, or deny it.

oOo

"Well, they aren't very thrilled with you two," Red Arrow told the two Titans.

The Justice League was through grilling the Titans for information, and had more or less kicked all the teens out of the conference room so they could deliberate privately. The four of them were walking the deserted hallways of the building. They were supposed to go back to Mount Justice for now.

Speedy shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Hey, at least no one was yelling like last time." He looked at his counterpart seriously. "Have you ever heard Batman yell? Like, not just raise his voice a little, but actually yell? You don't want to. I still have nightmares."

"Why was he yelling at you?" asked Robin. He'd only heard Batman yell a few times. And never at him.

"Not me. Robin was the one he was less-than-pleased with."

"It was nothing," Other Robin claimed, crossing his arms. "We just had a few disagreements with the League in the past. They weren't nearly as bad as Speedy's making them seem."

"I wonder how the others are doing," Speedy said as they reached the library, walking past rows of bookshelves on their way to the zeta tube. "Think they've ripped each other apart yet?"

oOo

"…And instead of birdarangs," Beast Boy said, barely stifling his own laughter, "Monkey-Robin had bananas!"

There were laughs all around, except from Conner. He scowled and muttered about his dislike of certain animals.


	22. Chapter 22

**.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

 _—Batman—_

"They're still kids," Superman had said to Batman about the Titans earlier. "But kids who deserve some credit. They've worked unbelievably hard, and they're a long way from home."

The day Bruce let Clark preach to him about how to deal with teenagers…

Clark had assumed that he was angry with the Titans for not wanting to work with the Justice League. For not settling for less than absolute independence. Clark had assumed wrong.

He wasn't angry. He couldn't be angry with that Robin for the way he was acting, or his stubbornness. All Bruce saw was himself.

He had never wanted Dick to pick up his traits—the all-consuming focus on the Mission, the tendency towards isolation and secrecy, the suppression of emotions—trying to give the boy as close to a normal life as he could, but he couldn't blame Dick for it happening. Only himself.

So he wasn't angry at that Robin. Whenever he saw him there was only a quiet feeling of pride, of relief, because there was always that possibility—that disturbing and very real possibility, larger than he liked to think about—that Dick wouldn't live to reach that age.

With his line of work, Bruce couldn't afford to be anything but a realist. They risked their lives every time they stepped outside as Batman and Robin. He loathed the fact more than he could say, but he couldn't ignore it. And he couldn't, not for a second, let his guard down because an older Dick from another dimension had appeared.

Knowing that that Robin was strong enough, smart enough, lucky enough, to keep himself alive, while reassuring, had absolutely no bearing here in this world. It wouldn't stop a stray bullet from hitting a deadly mark the next night they went on patrol, or the patrol after that…

But he could never force Dick to quit. He could try, and he would only be pushing Dick away, because Dick would do anything to be Robin, even if it meant going on his own. That fact was clearer now than it had ever been. Looking at Robin with the rest of the Team, as they and Red Arrow gathered in Mount Justice's meeting room, it was obvious that he belonged to this life.

Batman had called the meeting. He knew that the Team was losing patience at being left out of the loop. It was time to compare notes. He asked, fully aware that it was a loaded question, "What do you think of the Titans?"

Aqualad spoke for the Team—he had been in charge of subtly drawing information from the other young heroes. "We are…unsure. We questioned them as you ordered, and our results were not—"

"Beast Boy said that they fought aliens made of tofu," Kid Flash blurted out.

"He said that they fought a dragon," Superboy said.

"And that they got turned into puppets!" added Miss Martian, her eyebrows high in lingering disbelief.

"I'm still not believing that they were almost baked into a pie and eaten," said Artemis. "The sooner they go back to their Neverland fantasy world, the better. Everything they've told us so far is a load of—"

"We should not judge them too harshly," Aqualad said, quieting the others before the conversation escalated. Kid Flash seemed like he would burst if he didn't get to vent about the other heroes. "It is possible their world is very different from ours. They may be telling the truth."

"Or they might just be messing with you," Red Arrow said bluntly.

"Exactly!" Kid Flash agreed at a volume louder than necessary. "They're hiding something—I know they're hiding something. I can tell by the way they're acting."

"They're hiding lots of things." Robin cocked his head to the side, meeting Batman's gaze. "And I'm guessing it's our job to find out what?"

"For now," Batman said. "We're also putting you in charge of communications with their world. Once you establish a link, I'll need you to get as many files on these villains as you can."

"Can't we just have M'gann read their minds and find out what's going on?" Artemis asked, waving her hand in the direction of the other girl. "Then we can get out of this cave and help."

"I can't do that! It's not allowed, right? They're not bad guys." Miss Martian looked back-and-forth between her teammates for guidance. They were all quiet and contemplative, like they were considering forgoing telepathic etiquette in this case but didn't want to admit it. "Besides, I won't be able to do it without Raven noticing," she explained. "It's like she's hiding their minds behind a fog. I don't know if it's intentional, or just subconscious protection because they're her friends… Not that I've been trying to pry, or anything!" she added hastily.

"We're doing all that can be done," Batman told them. "You're more useful to us here. Learn more. Gain their trust."

The Team collectively frowned at him, but ultimately accepted the assignment. It wasn't permanent. If the Justice League couldn't get results within the next two days, Batman would be enlisting their help.

"Red Arrow, will you be—?" began Aqualad.

"Sticking around? No. I have better things to do than hang around here and make friends," Red Arrow said. "Roquette's gone missing again."

As of a few hours ago. She was supposed to deliver a lecture that morning, but never showed up. Signs of a struggle discovered at her apartment. No ransom demand. Despite having no leads, and between working on this inter-dimensional case that was taking up most of the League's time and effort, Batman was already organizing a search of locations she was most likely being kept at. Like the time before, Red Arrow would take it as a challenge to find her first.

Robin was quick on the uptake. "The Shadows?"

"Possibly," said Red Arrow. "We might soon have another, upgraded case of Fog on our hands, and if she's not found in time there won't be anyone to make a new virus program to shut it down." He made a scoffing noise. "Nice to know the Shadows are keeping busy."

"Do you want us to help?" Kid Flash asked eagerly.

"I rescued her once by myself. I can do it again."

oOo

—Teen Titans : Robin—

The Titans were having a meeting of their own, all crowded in Robin's borrowed bedroom.

"Sheesh, Robin," said Speedy. "Neat freak much? How the heck do you make your bed so neat? It looks like it belongs in a fancy hotel." He flopped down onto the bed before anyone else could take it as their spot.

There were four extra spare rooms in the mountain not claimed by full- or part-time residents, so the other Titans got their own while Robin had to settle for the one his counterpart used when he stayed over at Mount Justice. It didn't seem to happen very often, judging by the small amount of personal possessions scattered around. Just some books and gadgets, and extra clothes in the closet.

In a way, being in his younger self's room made him feel like he was in his old bedroom at Wayne Manor… and he hadn't been back there in a long time. It was unsettling. He tried not to touch anything if he could help it, wanting to leave the room the way he'd found it, as undisturbed as possible.

Robin shrugged. "I learned from the best."

"Batman taught you how to make your bed?"

"No. Not Batman," said Robin, smiling to himself for a short moment. "Anyway, what did Red Arrow say to you?"

"That if I embarrass him in front of the League or anyone else he'll hunt me down and strangle me with my own bowstring." Speedy placed his hands behind his head and leaned back against the headboard, unconcerned. "And I asked him about that girl GA got as a replacement, but he said it was his problem, not mine, and that I should drop the topic. He wouldn't tell me anything. I know something fishy's going on—that phony family tree GA explained isn't fooling me."

"He's right. Whatever's going on is their problem, as long as it doesn't affect us. We have enough on our plate as it is." Speedy frowned at that, and Robin continued before he could protest. "Let's get to business, guys. The others are meeting in a soundproof room. We need to make this quick—this might be the only chance we get to talk freely, without their Superboy overhearing. And do we ever need to talk."

"You lied to them about Kid Flash," Jinx said to Robin from her spot on the desk, sitting with her legs dangling down.

Speedy raised his hand for attention, looking around at the corners of the room and the ceiling. "Are we just pretending like Batman didn't bug this room, or…?"

"I checked for listening devices," Robin said.

"And? How many were there?"

"…None."

"Are you sure you—"

"Yes," Robin assured him tiredly. He was a hundred-and-ten percent sure the room was clean. He knew what he was doing. "And, Jinx, nothing I told them was an actual lie."

She pursed her lips, considering this, and said dispassionately, merely pointing out a fact, "Still, you deliberately deceived them."

"I know, and I'm not proud. I feel sick about it. But I couldn't think of what else to say. It wasn't the right time to tell them."

"There will never be a right time," Raven said, cross-legged on the floor.

"That's the problem," Robin agreed solemnly. "Don't you remember how our Justice League reacted?" He did. (Just kids. Can't handle it. Need supervision. Putting selves in danger.) "This League will bench us for sure if we tell them."

There were secrets they could keep, and secrets they couldn't. The truth about Robin's split from Batman was one they couldn't keep—Batman had known instinctively—and it had already made both members of the Dynamic Duo unhappy and conflicted. If the Titans could keep from revealing the truth about Kid Flash, Robin felt that they had to at least try. And he wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"They don't need to know," Jinx said quietly. "They'll be a lot happier if they never find out."

"Don't touch that," Robin told Beast Boy, seeing that he had a pair of dark sunglasses that didn't belong to him in his hands.

"Why do you even care?" Jinx asked. "It's not your stuff."

"Close enough. If it was labelled with a name, the name would be mine. Just leave it alone."

Beast Boy put the glasses back down on the bedside table. "I dunno how I feel about lying to everyone and acting like everything's fine," he said. "It's tough. And it doesn't feel right. What if something goes wrong?"

"You could have told them on the mission, and you didn't," Robin reminded him.

"Because you didn't! Excuuuse me for trusting you."

"I'm not trying to force you guys to do anything you don't want to." Robin was the leader, but he wasn't a dictator. "We'll put it to a vote. You know which option I'm voting for."

"I vote we tell the truth," said Beast Boy, then he added nervously, "Like, together. As a team."

"I don't want them to find out," said Jinx, her expression forced and blank. "I don't want him to find out."

"Tell them, I guess. It'll be less complicated that way," Speedy said when everyone looked his way. He jerked a thumb in Beast Boy's direction. "With a bigmouth like him around, they'll probably find out eventually. And we already had one close call last night with Rouge. They don't know how dangerous she really is."

That was why they couldn't afford to be benched. Rouge was indestructible, difficult to beat at the best of times. They stood the greatest chance.

"Robin, you cast your vote already," Raven said disparagingly when he opened his mouth to explain this. "You've had your turn." The tie-breaker belonged to her, and she was taking it seriously. "I don't want to lie to them. But on the other hand, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that nothing is set in stone. Just because something happened in our world doesn't mean it will happen here. Telling them may do more harm than good." They waited as she thought it over, and finally she said, "I'm withholding my vote."

"Are you allowed to do that?" asked Speedy.

"I don't care. I'm not voting unless I'm sure, and I'm not."

Heaving a loud sigh, Speedy said, "I'm switching sides then."

"What? You can't—" Beast Boy began to protest.

"Beast Boy, we're in a deadlock, and do you think either of them are going to give in?" Speedy pointed at the naysayers, Robin and Jinx. "We'll be here all day."

"If you want to go tell them, there isn't anything I can do to stop you," Robin told Beast Boy. There really wasn't. If any Titan was adamant about fessing up, Robin wasn't going to follow them around all the time to make sure they kept their mouths shut.

Beast Boy's pointed ears drooped and he looked down at his feet meekly. "But I don't want to tell them…" he mumbled.

No one did.

They sat and stood in silence, together in the same room, but so deep in their own thoughts that they might as well have been on opposite ends of the planet.

"You know what I just realized?" Speedy said eventually. "A week ago we were breaking into this place. Now we're living here. How'd everything get so screwed up?"

oOo

—Sunday—

It was just after lunch when they got the good news: communications were patched.

"We should first inform Bat—" said the parallel Aqualad, but Robin walked straight past him. Nothing was keeping him from the mission room, the one with the computers and finally a link home.

"They might think we're dead," Robin said over his shoulder, and they didn't try to stop him after that.

It wasn't Cyborg onscreen, like Robin expected, and hoped.

"Aqualad!" Speedy said, grinning at his friend.

"You're okay!" Aqualad smiled down at all of them. "When we couldn't contact you, we thought… We didn't know what to think." His gaze swept over the other heroes present in the room. "Looks like you've got a lot to tell us."

"You are their world's Aqualad?" asked the parallel one, looking at Aqualad with recognition in his eyes. "I know you, from Atlantis. We are friends."

Aqualad looked back blankly. "Sorry, but I have no idea who you are."

With a slight disappointed frown, the parallel Aqualad asked, "Do you know a girl named Tula?"

"Uh, yeah." That name made Aqualad flustered. He shifted uncomfortably. "But, we're not supposed to talk about our dimension, so…" he said lamely.

Speedy was snickering.

"Don't even think about it!" Aqualad warned him in a sharp voice, which only made him laugh harder.

"Where's Cyborg?" Robin asked.

"Good to see you too, Robin," Aqualad said. Robin rolled his eyes behind his mask. "He's in Steel City with the others. They're taking down some supercomputer that became self-aware and evil. You know, typical stuff. Cyborg's the only one who can reprogram it." He muttered about rock-paper-scissors and being left behind again. "But what happened to you? Why the radio silence? And why are you hanging out with them?" He nodded at other heroes.

"Slade sunk our battleship," said Beast Boy.

Aqualad cringed in sympathy. "Ouch."

Robin recounted the events with a little more detail, and by the end Aqualad was cringing even more. Robin felt the exact same way. Speedy was right—things sure had gotten screwed up.

"What happened on your end?" Robin asked. "Why haven't you come over to check in on us?"

"Well," said Aqualad, "remember when you had that brilliant idea to get information from the Slade-bot?"

"Remember when Cyborg assured me that our computer system's security was top-notch?" Robin asked irritably.

Aqualad shrugged in the universal gesture for don't look at me. "We got hit with a virus from that. A bad one. Cyborg managed to isolate it and destroy it, so it didn't do that much damage to our systems, except…"

"Except what?"

"It targeted the portal. It went haywire—started shorting out and almost lit the Tower on fire. Good thing I was around. But, unfortunately, it's a bit… toast."

Robin was scared to ask, but he had to. "How toast?"

"Cyborg looked it over and said it's not that bad. He'll probably want to run some tests later, but he's pretty sure it's only broken for sending, not receiving," Aqualad explained. "You can still send the bad guys back, then come home. We can't give you any back-up. At all."

"How long until it's fixed?"

"A couple of weeks, at best."

That wasn't the answer Robin wanted to hear. There had to be another solution. "What about Herald?" he asked.

"Not going to be able to help. We tried calling him, but we don't get good reception between dimensions. I'm sure he's fine, just exploring. Cyborg said he's going to seriously upgrade the signal strength on Herald's communicator when he finally shows up. This is just getting annoying." Aqualad thought for a moment, then suggested, "Maybe Raven can—?"

"After what happened?" Robin asked, shooting a concerned look at Raven.

She shook her head. "Even if I was at full strength, it would be a bad idea. We've talked about this."

"Then you'll have to get all your help from over there," Aqualad said. He held his hands up in defeat. "There's nothing else we can do."

"Yes, there is." Kid Robin stepped forward, all business. "You can send us every single piece on information you have on these villains, so the Justice League has an easier time catching them."

Aqualad stared at him, deadpan, and then his face broke into an amused smile. "I'm sorry. I can't take you seriously. I just can't."

Standing straighter, Kid Robin gave Aqualad a frown that might have been an attempt at Batman's but turned out more like a pout.

Robin pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing, and took over. "First, I need you to go to this mission file," he told Aqualad, "and in the third folder there are sets of instructions. Follow instructions B-two, then send the information."

The instructions would tell him to clean the computer files of everything they didn't want revealed. There were a few different variations, most involving Batman, but this case was solely Kid Flash. This was the only way Robin could warn home of the delicate situation they were in without drawing too much suspicion.

Even so, he could feel that, behind his back, eyes were darting to meet other eyes as the other heroes wondered what that protocol meant, the amount of suspicion in the room spiking.

"Do you have to make everything more difficult than it needs to be?" Aqualad asked. "Fine, I'll do it. Working on it right now." He typed, looking at things on the screen that they couldn't see from their end. After a minute he paused. "I just remembered—we got a new message from off-world."

Off-world. That could only mean one thing. One person.

"Oh." Robin's voice came out weird—cracked, sticking in his throat from surprise. Not excitement, not nervousness. Just surprise. "Anything important?"

"I don't know." Aqualad leaned back in the computer chair, arms crossed, looking smug. "The file's encrypted. It needs a password. I'm sending it as well, for you to deal with."

"Don't. It isn't a good time. We're too busy—"

"Cyborg ordered me to send it. He told me, and I quote: 'Don't let that spiky-haired little'—the next word I don't feel comfortable saying in present company—'off the hook just because he's too much of an emotionally-stunted'—uh… blank—'to man up and—"

"I get the picture," Robin said through gritted teeth, glaring at the screen so he could pretend he didn't notice the curiosity emanating from half of the teens in the room or the dark satisfaction—his teammates were enjoying his embarrassment, he knew they were—from the other half.

"Hey, I'm just the messenger here," Aqualad said in his defense. "And, when it comes to taking orders, I'm going to listen to the person in the same dimension as me, not the person on the computer screen." He leaned forward and tapped the monitor for emphasis.

The files were transferred, and Kid Robin set to work integrating them into the Justice League database, sending them to the Watchtower and the Batcave.

Aqualad said goodbye, promising to get Cyborg to call once the battle was over. Before he disappeared from view, he shot one last warning glare at Speedy, who had been sniggering this entire time and burst out laughing once the screen was blank.

"Tula dumped him," Speedy proclaimed without prompt. "She dumped him so hard."

"Dumped?" asked this world's Aqualad, blinking in confusion.

"She broke up with him. This was before he joined the Teen Titans; before any of us met him. But he told me." Speedy was succumbed to another round of laughter. "He said he cried for two weeks."

The parallel Aqualad's mouth twitched. "Ah. I see," was all he said.

"Yeah, after that he got all mopey for a while, left Atlantis, and lived like a hermit in a cave with his buddy Tramm. And that's when you guys met him," he told Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy. "Actually," he said, tapping his chin in thought, "if I'm remembering right, the last he heard was that she found someone new."

"No, don't send that file," Robin told his counterpart, watching the files move around onscreen. "That one's mine."

"Okay," the kid said. If Robin wasn't too busy looking at the computer screen and wondering how he'd find the time or nerve to listen to the message, he would have seen the sneaky grin flit across the younger boy's face. "No problem."


	23. Chapter 23

**.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

 _—The Team: Robin—_

It was already getting late when Batman called them all to the mission room, for some important news. "We're going to compromise," he said. "Listen carefully, and no objections until I'm finished speaking. Clear?" His gaze swept over them, until he was satisfied with the number of nods. "Both teams will work together to uncover information about the remaining targets, including whereabouts and activity."

"But—!" Other Robin tried to protest until Batman cut him off with a glare.

"The Justice League will likewise try to discover intel. When a lead is found on one of the targets, the Titans will be given a chance to bring them down on their own."

"What about—" Wally began, earning nasty glare of his own.

"If they do not succeed, and require assistance, the Team—as acting back-up—will step in until members of the Justice League can arrive. Does that work for everyone?"

"Yes," said Kaldur.

"I guess," Other Robin complied grudgingly.

"It's a yes or no question," Batman said.

"Fine. Yes. Let's start now."

"Where do you suggest we start?" asked Kaldur.

"I— Uh…" Other Robin faltered, his motivation outpacing his plans. "We can go to one of the cities Slade went to when we were still tracking him, and check things out."

"Your records show that there were eight different cities involved," Batman said flatly, and Other Robin frowned back at him, clearly still unaccustomed to not being in charge. "Without any way to narrow it down, that kind of searching will only be a waste of time and energy. I've put together a list of information that may help point to the direction of the targets. They're your enemies; you might notice something we've missed. Review it tonight and let me know if you come to any conclusions." And after assigning Other Robin that homework assignment, Batman swept out of the Cave to the Watchtower.

Robin later overheard his counterpart telling the other Titans about Batman, "He's trying to find Slade on his own. I can tell. That list of possible leads? There was hardly anything about Slade on it. He wants to go find and fight Slade by himself, without even letting us know. Sure, he'll let us fight Moth or X or even Rouge by ourselves, but he's not going to let us deal with Slade."

Other Robin seemed more worried than angry about it. He kept tugging at his gloves in agitation, and was analyzing the information as quickly as he could.

Finally, Robin found the opening he'd been looking for all day, catching Other Robin by the kitchen doorway when he left his team to go work on Batman's list some more. Everyone else was scattered and busy, so Robin was sure no one else heard him when he asked the older boy, "Can I… talk to you? Alone?"

Other Robin mumbled something about research and work to do, then began to turn away. There was a loud crashing of glass from the kitchen, making Robin whirl around, startled. This time, the one responsible for breakage was Conner, who'd been helping M'gann empty the dishwasher.

That was weird. Conner hadn't broken any dishes in weeks. He was scowling heavily as M'gann levitated the shards into the garbage can. She and him looked at each other in a way that made Robin realize they were communicating telepathically. She seemed like she was trying to calm Conner down, even putting a hand on his arm, and Robin wondered what the big deal was. Plates got smashed all the time here.

Other Robin had taken his chance to walk away during the commotion, and was already rounding a corner. Robin didn't follow. He had a better idea.

oOo

—Teen Titans: Robin—

Robin wound up in the hangar while wandering Mount Justice and thinking of what Slade could be plotting with his new allies and where to even start searching for him. Batman's list of information was so extensive that his head was still spinning. His feet brought him here without him planning it—he wasn't yet used to the layout of this cave.

He stepped out of the tunnel and sighed at the sight of the motorcycles parked near the wall. The only other person in the room was Superboy, who was walking past Robin on his way out. At the noise, he stopped and looked over at Robin with a blank expression.

"I miss my motorcycle," Robin explained, giving the bikes a yearning look.

Superboy didn't say anything, just stood there staring at him.

"What's that?" Robin asked, jerking his thumb at the large, robotic silver orb that, with the mutant wolf, followed the Superboy almost everywhere like a pet. Strange pets.

"It's Sphere."

Robin knew that much. "Yeah, but what—"

"You were mean to Robin," Superboy interrupted. Robin immediately knew that this wasn't going to go well. "He just wanted to get to know you, and you wouldn't talk to him. And now you're avoiding him."

Robin was getting really sick of this. "Listen, if he wants someone to talk to, he has Batman."

Then Superboy said something that he shouldn't know. "Batman isn't enough."

As though Robin hadn't made that hard-earned realization for himself years before. It was something he knew as solid, pure fact. Like the sky is blue, water is wet, fire is hot. A nugget of truth, one that he thought only he was acquainted with.

Superboy had no business knowing that, and he certainly had no business telling Robin anything about Batman. But he didn't seem to care.

"You're going to talk to him," Superboy said, and it was impossible to ignore the way his hand tightened into a fist by his side. "Doesn't have to be tonight, but before you leave you will talk to him. Or I'll drag you back from your universe and make you."

There wasn't any real anger, only the promise of anger, but somehow that was even more terrifying. Robin gulped and left the hangar promptly, thinking that a disgruntled teenage version of Superman was the last person he wanted to be in the same room with. This was a matter of personal safety.

oOo

 _—The Team: Kid Flash—_

Batman told them to grill the Titans for information, and that was exactly what Wally was going to do.

He had skills in the area of charming women, skills that he was going to put to use for the good of his team, and his own curiosity. His plan? To flirt with one of the Titan girls and get her to talk. He thought Raven might rip his throat out if he tried that on her, so his target was the other girl, Jinx. Not that she acted much warmer towards him, but he felt like he had a chance there. He didn't know why. Just a hunch. It was like, sometimes when he wasn't looking, he could feel her eyes on the back of his neck.

Before, when he tried joking to striking conversation all she did was ignore him or look pointedly away. He kept getting the same aloof vibe from her that he got from the really popular girls at school, and Artemis. At least with Artemis it made some sense. This Jinx girl had no reason to dislike him.

Except for the kidnapping and the borderline stalking that took place between his team and hers. That was in the past, though. And it was all her team's fault.

He dashed down the hallways of the Cave, thinking that she couldn't be that hard to find, not with her hair being such a crazy shade of pink. He had heard Artemis whispering to M'gann that it couldn't be natural. It was pink like, like cotton candy, or cream soda, or bubblegum…

There were few things that didn't remind him of food. Even the school bus made him think of a giant Twinkie. Speaking of which, he could really go for one right then.

Finally, he caught a glimpse of that bright pink through an open doorway. She was in his souvenir room, standing in front of one of the shelves, holding the…

Helmet of Fate.

"Hey! I wouldn't touch that if I were you." He zoomed forward and snatched it from her hands before she could protest, placing it extremely carefully back on its spot on the shelf like it was an unstable bomb. "You don't know what it's capable of. If you put it on, it'll take over your body forever, and I mean forever. It's the—"

"—helmet Dr Fate wears," she said. "I recognize it."

He blinked. "You do?"

"Sure. I went to an academy for supervillains. We learned all about the Justice League, its members, their powers and weaknesses…"

"You went to school to learn how to be a villain?" Wally asked incredulously. He'd never even heard of such a thing. "Why?"

"Seemed like the right decision at the time." There was an awkward pause. "I don't think it likes me," she said conversationally, tapping the helmet with her fingernail.

If it were any other inanimate object he'd consider her nuts for thinking it had an opinion one way or another. "Uh… Any particular reason?"

"I don't know. I just get this feeling from it… Maybe because it's magic. It doesn't like my powers."

"And what are your powers, exactly?" Some kind of energy manipulation, from what he'd been able to tell.

"Magic. Bad luck."

He had to bite his tongue from yelling out "bogus!" and, after taking a breath, he said as calmly as he could manage, "Magic. Right. Don't get me started. And bad luck? There's no such thing as luck. There's only probability. People make their own 'luck' by influencing factors to create a larger margin of success."

"See, that's exactly what I'm getting at. I make my own bad luck. By influencing factors…" Jinx gave him an amused look, an eyebrow raised. "…with magic."

"Hey!" he said, crossing his arms and taking mock-offense. "Don't make fun. I totally could've made fun of you, and I didn't. I'm trying really hard to be nice, you know."

"Why bother? You don't want us here. We don't want to be here. Why waste energy pretending to enjoy each others' company?" She lowered her voice dubiously. "Unless it's just a ploy to learn things we shouldn't tell you? Maybe some of your friends are keeping secrets from you. Maybe they lose control of their powers, or quit, or turn evil. Maybe your Robin will become a notorious player in a few years and steal all your girlfriends."

It was then that Wally knew she was just teasing him.

"You're kidding about that last one."

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"And I'm not just talking to you to interrogate you."

"No?"

"No." That had been his intention at first, but now he was just interested. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I only want to talk to talk. You're smart, and… I don't know. I guess I had you pegged wrong. There's something about you that's different…"

She tensed. "Stop it, Wally. Just stop." Her voice was cold and bitter, and it was obvious that she was only a few seconds away from storming out of the place. He didn't know what he'd done to make her so angry. He only—

Wait. What did she say?

"Is there a reason," Wally said slowly, with the attitude of someone who had their opponent cornered, "why you know my secret identity when you didn't even know Speedy's name until a couple of days ago? And I'm willing to bet that you don't know Robin's." He looked her directly in the eyes. "Why mine?"

"I…I heard one of your teammates say—" The excuse was so weak that it was already collapsing in on itself.

"Yeah," said Wally, sticking his hands in his pockets, his tone casual, "I don't think that's it. You know what I think? We know each other, don't we? We know each other well enough that I told you my secret identity!" Suddenly things clicked, in a sort of backwards way. "Hold up… Are we dating?"

"No, we're not." There was such finality in her voice, like the mere possibility had been wrapped up for good, ages ago. A closed door.

He looked at her seriously. "Did I— Did I break up with you? Because if I did, I'm, uh, really sorry." She didn't answer, and by her silence he figured he was right. "So, was I a good boyfriend?" he asked, cracking a grin.

"So-so," Jinx said succinctly.

"Just 'so-so'? Explain. Where did I take you on our first date?"

"Paris."

Wally beamed proudly. "Ha! Knew I was smooth."

"We went there to help take down a world-wide organization of villains," she said in that same bland voice.

"That's... romantic?" he asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"On our second date he took me to Metropolis. We had a run-in with Toyman and had to hold him off until Superman showed up."

"That's... a bit better?"

"Third date was to Niagara Falls."

"There, now that's a date! Wasn't any fighting involved in that one, right?"

"Just some of his rabid fans."

"And after that?"

"After that every day was a date. He took me everywhere, until..." She trailed off.

"I broke up with you. Why did I do it?"

She shrugged, crossing her arms and pulling at the sleeves uncomfortably. She was wearing Artemis's clothes, and for some reason that fact stuck out to Wally. "I was too demanding, I guess."

"What's the other me like?" Wally was dying to know. "Handsome? Heroic?"

"He's more mature than you."

"Okay…"

"And smarter."

"Yeah? And?"

"And he's... fast."

"Is that so?"

"Faster than you."

Now she'd just crossed the line.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lies!" Wally accused.

"Truth," she countered.

There was no way he was accepting that. "You've hardly seen me run. How can you know?"

"I just do," she said unhelpfully.

"Yeah, well, I need concrete proof before I believe something like that."

"Then let's test you. You say you're fast... How fast are you, really?" Jinx turned her back to him, perusing the items on the shelves.

"What?" Wally asked when she didn't do anything. "What's the test?"

"Quick wits are just another part of it," she said carelessly. "If you can't figure it out, then you fail."

She turned to face him, and he saw that she was holding the Helmet of Fate again. She lifted it above her head, her cat-like eyes fixed on him. She let it fall.

In an instant he was in front of her, his body acting of its own accord. The helmet was held up by his shaking hands, less than an inch from contact with the crown of her head. His face was so close to hers that he could feel her breath. The tips of their noses nearly touched. "What were you thinking?" he whispered in horror, his heart pounding so rapidly that he bet she could hear it.

She ducked swiftly under his arm and darted away, stopping just in front of the doorway and turning back to say, "Congratulations. You passed. I'll admit it—you're pretty fast."

"You're insane. You're sick. What if I didn't catch it? You'd be stuck as Dr Fate, forever." The thought of a female Dr Fate might have been hot if it wasn't so terrible and awful and wrong.

"That would be unlucky."

"Luck has nothing to do with it! You're the one who decided to act like a total idiot! That wasn't funny. You—"

But she was already gone, and he was berating an empty doorframe.

oOo

 _—The Team: Robin—_

If Other Robin hadn't brushed him off like that, maybe Robin would have felt some hesitation about duplicating the message file, sending it to his own computer, then hiding away in the cave with the intention to crack the decryption and see it for himself. But the time for hesitation was over.

The file needed a password. With some prying he could tell it was between six and nine characters. Too many wrong guesses and the file would corrupt itself as a security measure.

He didn't need the password when he could make his own backdoor to get at the message. He was curious of what it could be, though.

While he waited for his specially-designed decryption program to do its thing, he kept an eye and an ear out for anyone entering the library, but he doubted that anyone would stumble upon him here. He'd chosen the room because it was one of the most deserted in Mount Justice.

He sat hidden under the large staircase that led from the door down to the bookshelves, a perfect spot because he would hear someone and see them through the gaps in the slats above him before they looked down and noticed he was there. It was also kind of cozy.

There was a ping from his wrist-computer. Complete. That was easy.

He selected the file and hit play without giving himself any chance for second thoughts.

A girl appeared on screen. She was all jewel tones—red hair and emerald eyes and gold skin. It was hard to believe she was real. She couldn't be human, she was too beautiful. And she looked sad. Which was wrong.

Robin frowned.

"Robin," she said. Even though he knew she wasn't actually talking to him, it was still strange hearing her say his name. "I miss you. It never becomes less true, no matter how many times I tell you. I know that I still do not understand many Earth customs and expressions... I never had a name for the thing that is kindness until I came to your planet, and I did not know the significance of the word 'girlfriend', and I was not aware, when I first met you, that kissing meant more than the transfer of language and knowledge…"

She blushed slightly, and Robin didn't know why. Then it hit him, and he gave a quiet laugh.

"However," she continued, "I believe I am correct in what I am about to say. I love you, Robin."

His blood froze. This was a prerecorded message, so she took no notice and kept talking, regardless of his reaction and realization that this had been a bad, bad, terrible idea.

"I wish I could do the 'telling in person', but I am here, and you are there... and I am not even certain where you are because no one will give me clear answers for why you are not often responding to me! They say you are on a mission, a most important one, far away, but—"

He turned the screen off. He'd had enough.

First he'd found out that his other self wasn't getting along with Bruce, and now he found out that he was a coward. It was too much. And the worst part was that he couldn't tell whether what he was seeing was a warped mirror version of himself, or the inevitable.

He sat there for a while, thinking hollow thoughts, until he felt eyes looking down at him. Raven had found him under the staircase. She was standing there, with books in her arms. He didn't hear her enter the room, but then again she was possibly the most silent person he'd met, besides Batman. She must have phased through the walls… but how long had she been here?

He could guess the answer to that: long enough.

"Robin, why did you do that?" she asked. Robin didn't know if he was just imagining the disappointment in her toneless voice or if it was really there, underneath.

"I don't know," he said miserably, raking his hands through his hair. "He was ignoring me, and I wanted to find out more, so I thought…" Actually, he didn't think.

"You remind me of him in some ways," Raven remarked impassively. "One time he felt an obsessive need to learn everything he could about someone. He took it too far." For a moment she was quiet, a trace of conflict showing through her cool and collected manner. "I'd tell you to learn from his mistakes, but it's actually your own mistakes you should be learning from… I shouldn't have said anything."

"I wouldn't have done it if he would just…" Robin was too frustrated to put it into words. "Why does he ignore her?" he found himself blurting out. "Doesn't he even care?"

"You need to understand something about Robin," Raven said seriously. It dawned on Robin that it was kind of ironic, her having to explain him to himself. "He always tries his hardest to do the right thing. That's what makes him such a great hero… and it's also his worst fault." She looked aside, clearly remembering something unpleasant. "He gets carried away sometimes. He'll push away the people he cares about, if he thinks they'll be better off. Starfire is the princess of Tamaran, and she's been gone for so long that he's worried she'll want to stay there forever to be with her people. He doesn't want her to feel forced to coming back to Earth if she'll be happier there. But instead of talking to her about it like a normal person, he bottles it up and dives into his work."

"Her name's Starfire?" Robin tilted his head to the side, remembering something. "That's what he yelled that night, the first time we tried to catch you. Right before the stun-bomb."

Raven gave what might have passed as a smile. "He acts like he doesn't miss her, but all of our codewords lately seem to be related to her."

"Raven," he said, because this was worth a shot, "will you answer some questions, if I ask really nicely?"

"No."

Robin got to his feet, staying ducked low until he was out from under the staircase, then straightened up and determinately walked right past Raven, going up the steps to the door. "You know what?" he said down to her. "I'm going to find him, and force him to tell me what I want to know." It was time to tackle this head-on.

"Don't," she said. Then she sighed. "At least, not tonight. Try early in the morning. He tends to be in a better mood."

Robin stopped on the stairs and backed up a couple of steps. "How early?"

"Sunrise early."

"Jeez, Robin groaned. He never woke up that early if he could help it. Patrolling Gotham at night meant that he sometimes got to bed as the sun was just beginning to rise, although Bruce usually sent him home earlier than that.

"So what happened to these books?" Raven asked, rifling through one she was holding. "A lot of them are water-damaged, and others are burnt." She held the book out towards Robin, showing him how the pages were charred on the edges.

He smiled in embarrassment and blew his bangs out of his eyes with a dragged-out breath. "Long story."

"That's what I came here for," she said.


	24. Chapter 24

**.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Four**

 _—Dick Grayson—_

 _—Monday—_

Dick yawned as he opened the exit door. It led to the exterior of the mountain, near the summit. He had slipped through the zeta tube to Mount Justice under the pretense that he had forgotten some important school notes there. There was a window of maybe twenty minutes before he needed to be back in Gotham, changed into his school uniform and buckling up in the back of the car for Alfred to take him to school.

Other Robin was sitting on the edge of the small, rocky outcropping, watching the sky. It was a nice sky—bright and clear and streaked with reddish clouds—like it was trying to make up for all the past few days it had spent being overcast and stormy.

He looked over at Dick, and the younger boy slapped on a fake expression of shock and reached out like he was about to grab Other Robin by the shoulder, only to stop midway.

"What?" Other Robin asked, unamused.

"For a second there I was worried that you might throw yourself off the mountain to get away from me," Dick explained innocently.

Other Robin's mouth tensed, and he didn't say anything.

Ignoring the please go away vibes he was receiving, Dick sat down next to his counterpart and took off his sunglasses. The mountain was surrounded by so many electronic scramblers and other anti-spy tech that no one would be able to notice them sitting there, much less see their faces. "So…" he began, "must be pretty cool, leading your own team."

"Uh, yeah, it's okay. Someone has to do it."

"I wanted to lead ours. Couldn't quite manage it. I still wanted to, though, even after we put Kaldur in charge. Then I was leader for one mission and I— I screwed everything up. All my friends died, and there wasn't anything I could do. It was just a simulation," he clarified when Other Robin whipped his head around to look at him with masked eyes wide in horror, "one that went wrong. We forgot that it wasn't real. It all felt so real. The fighting, and the fire..."

And the failure. That was real. The guilt. That was real too. The wounds hadn't really existed, the explosion never happened, but those other things lingered.

"Why are you telling me this?" Other Robin asked, sounding tired.

Dick shrugged as he watched seagulls circle in the air over the beach at the foot of the mountain. "I don't know. Making conversation. I can't really talk to Batman or anyone else about it."

"Why not?"

"It's kind of complicated. Have you…" Dick trailed off, fiddling nervously with the drawstring of his hoodie, then tried again. "Have you ever realized that you don't want to take over as Batman when you grow up?"

"I…" Other Robin seemed to be at a loss for words. His forehead crumpled into lines of conflict and he shifted uncomfortably like he was rethinking jumping off the mountain.

"Nevermind. Maybe you haven't. You already act a lot like him."

"Even if I might act like him sometimes," said Other Robin defensively, "it doesn't mean I want to be like him."

"Can you just tell me why you hate him so much? After everything you must have been through together, how can you—"

"I don't," Other Robin interrupted.

"What?"

"I don't hate him."

"Could've fooled me."

"I don't hate him," Other Robin repeated. "I couldn't. Not ever. I can hate the way he acts, and disagree with things he does, and there are moments he makes me so angry that I just want to punch him, but when it all comes down to it… I owe him everything."

The tight knot of anxiety and doubt that had twisted up inside Dick's chest loosened slightly. He felt his shoulders relax as some of the built-up worry disappeared. His relationship with Bruce was not broken, not doomed to fail. He knew he could never really hate Batman. What Other Robin was going through with his Batman must just be a small tiff. Teenage rebellion.

It was colder than Dick had expected outside. He wished that he brought gloves. Dick breathed into his cupped hands and rubbed them together as he sat there and let what Other Robin said sink in.

"But sometimes I wish I could hate him," admitted Other Robin. "It would make it all so much less complicated."

"Speedy said that Batman yelled—"

"Don't listen to anything Speedy says. Half of the time he only talks to hear the sound of his own voice." Other Robin heaved a loud sigh. "I know you're mad that I've been avoiding you. But you want answers that I can't give you. I don't know how different this universe is than ours. I'm not here to tell you what to do with your life. Stay in Gotham and be Robin until you're forty, if you want to. Or quit and lead a normal life. Take over as Batman one day, if that's what you want, or find a new city and be its vigilante hero. Stick with your team and end up leading it one day, or don't. Just… do whatever you want. My life isn't your life. Your choices are all your own."

Dick realized that this was the most Other Robin had ever spoken to him. He felt a small nudge of guilt for his earlier assumptions of his older self as a thoughtless jerk. He had thought that he was being ignored out of spite, or that Other Robin was just being rude.

Other Robin had been a little rude about it, no question, but Dick thought that maybe he would be able to forgive him for it eventually… if he didn't do it again.

"If I met an older version of myself that told me I quit being with the Titans," said Other Robin, I wouldn't be happy. Actually, that sort of happened. But it was an alternate timeline. Completely different. We only split up there because Starfire went missing."

"Starfire, huh?" Dick asked knowingly.

"Uh…" Other Robin winced like he had accidentally said more than he wanted to. "Yeah, she's just—"

"Just your girlfriend?"

"How do you…" Other Robin stared at Dick incredulously for a moment and came to his own answer. "Beast Boy," he muttered darkly under his breath.

"No, it was Raven."

"What? Raven wouldn't—"

"She didn't tell me much that I didn't already figure out by myself. See, she kind of caught me red-handed."

"What are you talking about?"

Tilting his head to the side to shoot Other Robin a smug glance, Dick said, "Let's just say that I've never met an encryption I couldn't decrypt."

"You—" Other Robin growled, but all his grabbing hands found was air. Dick was long gone, already through the door and sprinting with a smirk down the hallway inside.

oOo

 _—The Team: Kid Flash—_

The only reason Wally had popped into the Cave that morning was because he knew there was leftover pizza in the fridge, and he was craving cold pizza for breakfast. He couldn't get it off his mind. It was a need.

He had also hoped that Megan would be around to brighten his morning, but apparently she had early morning cheerleading practice so she and Conner had both already left. And Kaldur, the only one of them who didn't have classes, was out taking a swim. That left Wally having to make small talk with three of the Titans: Raven, Speedy, and Beast Boy.

"So you guys actually don't go to school in your world?" Wally asked through a mouthful of delicious pizza. Even with the unwanted company, he was pretty sure that coming here for breakfast was the greatest decision he had ever made in his life.

"School's for chumps and villains," Speedy said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "We don't have time."

"Huh."

Then the older Robin stormed in and grabbed Wally by the front of his shirt, totally catching him off-guard and almost making him drop his slice of pizza. These heroes were crazy. "Where is he?" the Faux Wonder demanded through gritted teeth.

Jeez, Rob was still working to master the infamous Bat-glare but this guy had it down pat. "Who?" Wally asked.

There was an echoing laugh, and the edge of a blue jacket disappeared around the doorframe. Rob was here? Wally hadn't known that. He felt a little miffed that his best friend didn't even say good morning.

Jerk Robin let go of Wally and stalked off after the sound of laughter. "When I get my hands on him…"

"Robin," Speedy called after him, "you know he's deliberately provoking you, right?"

"I don't think he cares," Raven commented uninterestedly.

"He's not going to…hurt Rob, is he?" Wally asked, fixing his rumpled shirt.

"Robin? No way," Beast Boy assured him. "He would never..." There was a long pause and the Titans all stopped eating and drinking and gave each other thoughtful looks. "Looked pretty mad, though."

Speedy stood, picking up his coffee cup and a piece of toast. "Maybe we should go make sure things don't get out of control."

"You just want to see them fight," said Wally.

"Yeah, so? Don't you?"

"Ha! You know what?" Wally clapped Speedy on the shoulder. "I like you, parallel Roy." He was like their Roy had been before he tossed his hat and no longer had any time for his old friends.

Speedy didn't reply. He just gave a kind of whatever grimace and downed half of his coffee in one gulp. Wally was used to not getting answers from the Titans, though. It seemed like ninety percent of the time when he talked to them, all he got was silence. Probably just part of their Robin's insistence to keep interdimensional info from being shared, but it got annoying after a while.

oOo

Other Robin finally found him in the mission room. "You have some explaining to do," said Other Robin as he stomped towards Dick, his whole body tense in barely-controlled fury.

Dick dodged out of reach of Other Robin's hand when the older boy tried to grab him. "No, I think you have some explaining to do."

Again Dick dodged, darting behind Other Robin and flipping his cape over his head as revenge for the time he had done it to Dick. Since Other Robin's cape was shorter, he had an easier time untangling it and soon his face was uncovered and even through his mask he was glaring obviously at Dick.

"I'm not surprised that you were so good at ignoring me. Turns out you've had plenty of practice." Somewhere along the line, the attempts to grab and dodges turned into swipes and punches from both of them."Batman, Starfire… You just push away everyone that cares about you, don't you?" Dick asked tauntingly. "Remind you of anyone?"

"You couldn't have it more wrong. You actually have no idea what you're talking about. Don't assume you know anything about me or my life, because you don't," said Other Robin as Dick tried to squirm his way out of a headlock. "I was going to watch the message today, after I was done reading through all that information."

Dick got free by kicking Other Robin in the kneecap, making him double over and bite back a swear. "Were you now?"

"Yes," Other Robin said through a hiss of pain.

Dick crossed his arms and observed Other Robin loftily through his sunglasses. "You should have watched it right away. It's kind of important."

"You shouldn't have pried into something that doesn't concern you at all!" Other Robin countered indignantly, almost shouting now. This wasn't over yet.

As Dick slipped free of an arm twist and retaliated for the shooting pain in his shoulder by elbowing Other Robin in the kidney, he actually felt a bit better. This could be just what both of them needed to work out their frustration.

oOo

"Aww, look," said Speedy sardonically. "They're trying to kill each other."

"My bet's on our Robin," Beast Boy said.

"No, dude, our Robin's way craftier," Wally claimed. "You'll see." As if to prove his point, Rob faked a serious leg injury after being thrown to the ground, and when the older Robin let his guard down and approached the crumpled form, he got kicked in the jaw. Wally wondered if cheering would be in bad taste.

"Betting's no fun unless you put your money where your mouth is," Speedy said.

"So you're not going to tell us who you think's gonna win?"

"I want yours to win. It'll be hilarious."

"What about you, Raven?"

She rolled her eyes like she could not believe that she had decided to follow them here. "I think Batman's going to intervene before it comes to a conclusion."

"What?"

Raven nodded at the holographic computer window that was floating on the other side of the room, which showed Batman's face looking down at the scene with distaste. Oh. Wally cringed. This was not going to end well.

Neither Robin had noticed yet—they were too busy tussling. It was funny to watch. The older Robin had Rob in what looked like a painful wrestling hold. Rob's face was being pressed down hard against the training floor by both of the older Robin's hands. Only muffled complaints could be heard from him as he tried to shake his older self's weight off his back and get out of the pin.

Rob was probably the best teenage martial artist in the world, and his parallel self was the same thing aged up a couple years, but this didn't look like two master fighters matching skills. This was just juvenile scrapping, all elbows and knees, twisted limbs and chokeholds. All it was missing was hair-pulling.

"Enough," Batman ordered gruffly. Identical _oh crap_ expressions crossed over both Robins' faces as they hastily and sheepishly separated, rubbing at their growing bruises and determinedly not looking at each other. "Robin, Gotham. Now."

Rob straightened his glasses, and as he walked to the zeta tube he cast one backwards glance at his older self and gave him a nod. A curt nod, but with no angry frown accompanying it. The older Robin didn't glare back, either. It was like there were no hard feelings between them at all.

Batman wasn't done. He turned his attention to Wally. "Kid Flash, shouldn't you be getting to school?"

"I've still got an hour or two…" Wally said unconcernedly. Batman narrowed his eyes. "But, uh, right. Yes, school. Leaving."

And he did leave, the half-full pizza box clamped under his arm and jealousy hanging over him like a cloud that would follow him for the rest of the day because the Titans got to stay behind and do hero work with Kaldur. Why couldn't Batman let him play hooky?

oOo

 _—Teen Titans: Jinx—_

"Did I ever tell you about how I got my powers?"

"Yes. The story gets more outlandish each time you tell it, Flash-boy. Last time there were aliens involved."

"You jest!"

"And the time before that you got bitten by a radioactive cheetah. Enough said."

"Ha-ha, okay. But did I ever tell you the real story?"

Jinx was dreaming in blue.

She had woken up a while ago, and when she opened her door and heard Wally's voice drifting from the kitchen she decided that that was not how she wanted to start her day and retreated back into the dark bedroom, hiding under the blankets and falling asleep again for another few minutes.

Jinx's plan was to stay in bed as long as possible, until someone knocked on her door. They were supposed to go investigate later. Hours of legwork and following fruitless leads. She wasn't looking forward to it. Daytime investigation had gone disastrously just a few days ago, and she couldn't imagine it going much better this time around.

No one was coming to wake her up, so she pulled the blankets tight around her and dreamed half-awake dreams full of blue:

Blue. The colour of the tracking dot on the small screen, leading them to their target.

There was some blue graffiti on the outside wall of the neighbouring dock-side warehouse. It was a bit too dark to read out what it said, but she remembered that it had been some shade of blue. The two of them had stood beside it, taking shelter in a small alcove from the torrential downpour.

They broke into the building easily, happy to be out of the rain. It was full of machinery and vials and vials of chemicals (some of them blue). A lab or a manufacturing facility. The Brotherhood of Evil—what was left of it—was cooking up something nasty.

Splitting up to investigate was a terrible idea, but it was a big place with several stories and she couldn't keep up with him. He zoomed off. She turned on a nearby computer, thinking of what a jackpot it was to stumble upon this place and how this would prove her to the other Titans.

She tried to access the computer files, glancing away from the blue glow of the screen every few seconds to look over her shoulder.

"Figured it out?" Wally asked. He was back already.

"Almost. I—"

The strike came as a complete surprise, knocking her the floor before she could react or do anything other than silently scream at herself that she was stupid stupid stupid. The side of her face stung from the blow as she struggled to get up on her knees, only to be kicked to the floor again, a pointy heel digging into her back.

Splitting up was a terrible idea.

Hearing the commotion, the real Wally returned quickly and a frantic fight followed. Most of it was a blur to Jinx. Wally and Rouge were both just too fast. High-speed punches and tackles and limbs snapping out like elastic, and glass shattering everywhere. She tried throwing a few hexes but it was difficult to aim and not hit Wally by accident, and she ended up smashing a rack of large chemical vials. Coloured liquid foamed and frothed, spreading across the floor.

Wally was getting tired and Rouge was getting the upper hand. And when Wally skidded to a stop at Jinx's feet, hurt and stirring feebly, Jinx was getting mad.

Too mad, too reckless—and maybe the venture itself had been too reckless. She got a few vicious strikes in, sending Rouge stumbling, but then one hex rebounded and hit some crates by the wall. Angry pink sparks shot through the gaps in the wood, wreaking havoc on whatever was inside.

By the shrill noises that rang through the air, and the hazard symbols painted on the crates, and the smug, wicked look on Rouge's face before she melted herself and disappeared through a crack in wall, fleeing, Jinx knew she had triggered something bad.

She helped Wally up off the floor and ordered him to go, to vibrate his molecules through the walls, but he couldn't. He could barely walk. There was blood on his face and even though he recovered quickly it wasn't quick enough. The screeching sound was getting louder by the second and more and more sparks of interference were being spit out and Jinx knew that it had to be some kind of explosives, some new kind the Brotherhood was working on, and she caused it and it was all her fault and she couldn't drag Wally out of here fast enough and she couldn't abandon him either—

Then he pushed her roughly away—it hurt—and she could see the apology in his blue eyes.

She kept reliving the explosion that happened right after she was pushed and sent flying out of range.

("Simple Newtonian physics," she remembered him explain once. He was always rattling on about momentum and impulse. "F equals m-a, and if there's one thing I have it's 'a'.")

There was a rumbling that shook her to her core. The light was hot and yellow-tinted. It flooded her vision so completely that, at the time, she thought she had actually died.

And then a small flash of blue within the yellow.

Jinx opened her eyes.

Blue. That was new. She didn't remember any blue being in the explosion before. Her mind was tricking her, adding in more clues, skewing the story.

I'm officially going insane, Jinx thought wryly.

No, she wasn't going to let that happen. She refused to go along with it. It was time to wake up and stop smelling the roses. Everyone else could hang on to their theories and their doubts and their hope, but as of now she was letting go of all those ties.

She wasn't holding onto hope, hope was holding onto her. Holding her down, holding her back, and she was not going to spend another day waiting.

So she got out of bed. Stopped hiding. Got changed.

Her dress, the one she had designed and sewn herself and committed both villainous and heroic acts in—though mostly villainous—was hanging in the closet. She ran her hand over the smooth fabric of the skirt (Would it be easy to put it on and go back to things the way they used to be?) then frowned and passed the dress over in favour of more borrowed clothes. It felt heavier than what she wanted today.

Because she did feel lighter. A little happier. The hours of investigation today weren't so dreaded anymore.

She sort of felt like running.

 **...**

 **End.**

Well, this is the end of the document folks. If you find yourself wanting more, then write it! It might be fun to see different endings for this story. I might actually try writing an ending myself. (it would be posted in a separate story so it wouldn't get mixed up with the original work). If you do decide to write your own ending, or even a different fic inspired by this one, include a link in a review so that others can find it. Thanks again to adorable pragmatism for writing this fanfiction, and I hope you all enjoyed!

~Alarose


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